Little Wolf
by IvyLupin415
Summary: Malcolm Merlyn's daughter is an assassin, trained to fight, to replace evil with death. How will she fare in Central City after the Particle Accelerator explosion? How will Team Flash react to a woman who has to fight her instincts to kill? How will Tala cope with being a Metahuman?
1. 101 Comatose

"Actually Barry, can I come too? I want to see the accelerator come on." Tala asked, tossing her armor into a duffel, made of a material she knew couldn't be cut. She matched it to the color of the navy blue streak she'd dyed into her hair. Her silver nails flashed as she ran her fingers through her hair, pulling a tangle from it as it fell out of the braid she fought in.

"I'm sorry, do you even know what it is? You're an assassin, not a physicist." Barry laughed as he pulled on his jacket. Tala, Felicity and Oliver all scowled at him.

"I have my master's degree in Mechanical Engineering asshat. I have a bachelor's in Russian Literature and Criminal Justice. Before I became a vigilante, I was going to go to Central City and apply at Star Labs anyway - I've idolized Harrison Wells since I was twelve." Tala turned her best puppy dog eyes on him, pleading with him.

"Fine, you can even crash on my couch if you want" Barry sighed, hoping the apparently smarter than he realized assassin didn't kill him. "We have to hurry though, if we catch the next train, we should be able to just make it." Tala gave him a toothy grin.

"I've got that covered. Come along my dear - have you ever been in a private jet?" Barry turned to face her with his eyes wide. "I've also got you covered with your Captain - you won't be fired, I promise. Bye guys, I'll be back in about a week or so, promise. Love you Ollie." Tala kissed everyone's cheeks and dragged Barry along out of the club to where she had her bike sitting waiting for her. It took some rearranging, but the two of them and their bags were soon settled on the motorcycle. They headed off to the airport, where the Merlyn Jet was sitting, already started up.

"When my father died, he left everything to me and Thea. Well, me because I don't think Thea knows she's my half-sister yet." Tala gave Barry her weapons case and pushed him toward the stairs to the plane, before bending slightly and lifting her motorcycle with a grunt. It was placed in the hallway of the plane. Barry raised an eyebrow at her, confused. "Barry, you don't have a car. Central City's airport is ages away from everything by foot. This way we can go straight to your lab so you don't get fired." Barry just looked at her, blinking rapidly before they settled in for the flight.

"Captain Singh! I wanted to personally thank you for allowing Barry Allen to stay longer in Starling City and assist my company and me. I was with him when you requested his return, and I just flew him into town. He was incredibly helpful in solving what was apparently an inside job of theft. I couldn't trust the CSI's in Starling because I have had past issues with a detective there. Anything the Merlyn Global Group can do for you, just let me know." Tala shook his hand, and smiled at him, while Barry, Joe and the captain looked on in varying degrees of confusion.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Singh asked, bewildered.

"I'm sorry, I am Tala Merlyn, CEO and owner of the newly reformed Merlyn Global Group. We had an issue with someone stealing from my company, and Barry here actually solved it for me, so I thank you for loaning him to me." Tala beamed at him again, causing Singh to smile back.

"Of course, thank you for bringing him back - he is one of our best and I was worried you would poach him from me." Singh said, causing Barry and Joe to look at each other and shrugged.

"And deprive Central City of him? Definitely not. Now, I've got to go, sadly I'm not just here for pleasure, I am also here on business. I think it is about time Central City gains its own Global Group, and I am going to start scouting out buildings. Barry, do you mind if I leave my things in your lab?" Tala asked, finally turning to him and winking.

"Sure, yeah, sure. It's up here." Barry was blinking rapidly, trying to process what had just happened. He led the assassin and the detective up to his lab, where Tala started laughing.

"How did you do that?" The detective asked her, looking as confused as Singh was at first.

"Little trick I learned from my dad. Eye contact and a lot of suggestion. He was called the hypnotist for a reason. I picked up a few tricks. Ra's taught me a few more. Anyway, I'm going to leave my stuff here and take a ride, familiarize myself with the city, maybe commit a felony. I dunno yet." Tala left, pulling her belstaff coat out of the trunk and sweeping out of the room.

"Commit a felony? What is she talking about?" Joe asked Barry, worriedly looking where she had vanished around the corner.

"Don't worry about it, she's only a coffee obsessed assassin and a vigilante from Starling City. She won't hurt anyone that doesn't attack her first."

"You're friends with the Starling City vigilante? I'm assuming she is the blue one? Blue hair, blue bag, blue coat?" Joe asked, moving to sit on Barry's desk.

"Both of them. Why do you think I was late? The green one needed help, I was able to do that. She, Tala, she's interested in the particle accelerator, so she flew us both to Central City." Barry grabbed Joe's shoulder in excitement. " Joe, she flew us both here in her own personal private jet! How cool is that?" Barry was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement over the plane ride. Joe just smiled.

Tala sat, perched on the highest point of Star Labs and looked down at all the dots that were the scientists and engineers preparing for that night. She was so excited, but she was also nervous. She knew what could happen if this thing went wrong. Dark Matter was a thing that many people didn't know about, but people also thought that you couldn't live for over two hundred years. She didn't think anything would go wrong, but it didn't hurt to make sure. Tala stood and took a running jump, flicking out her bow and firing an arrow to the other tower. She swung and lightly jogged up to the top of the tower. She pulled out the last monitor and placed it where it wouldn't be found by anyone but an assassin. These three devices would record what came out of the particle accelerator, and wait for her to get them. They were setup to send the information to Nyssa and Oliver if she didn't get them within a year. Just in case something happened to her. She looked around and realized that a few of the dots down below had spotted her. She grinned. This would be hilarious. She pulled on the magic tether that forced her League Armor to materialize around her, the weight familiar. Instead of pulling up the cloth to cover her mouth, she put her vigilante mask on which activated her voice distorter. Her bow was still expanded, and gripped tight in her right hand - her burns meaning she couldn't shoot as well as she used to with her dominant hand. She took two steps back and took a running leap off the tower. She heard screams from down below and laughed. There was nothing better than a freefall. Tala turned over so she was facing up and shot a grappling arrow toward a tower, letting it catch her and slow her fall. She flew through the air and circled around to a good landing spot. She landed in front of two people, a redheaded woman, and a Hispanic man she thought she might have recognized.

"Kon'nichiwa chīsana koneko." Her voice modulator on her necklace kicking in, making her voice thicker and slightly lilted, like she had an accent that no one could place. Ollie's made his voice deeper, hers was more fun. "Worry not little one, I'm just looking around."

"You're the Starling City Vigilante! The blue one." He shouted, alarmed.

"And you are Absolyutno vkusnyy." The'eb Sagheer walked closer to him, ignoring the way the woman was trying to pull him backwards. She placed her arms around his neck and pulled him against her. The'eb Sagheer pressed a gentle kiss to his neck, leaving a blue lip print there, before she whispered in his ear. She grinned as she pulled away, shooting another arrow into Star Lab's tower to allow her to get away quickly.

"Cisco, Cisco! What did she do to you? What did she say to you? Are you alright?" Caitlin Snow frantically asked him.

"I'm fine. She kissed me, and she said..." He trailed off, his hand hovering above the lipstick mark on his neck

"What did she say Cisco?!" Caitlin asked, her voice rising with anxiety over his mental state.

"She made a movie reference. I thought I was the only one that did that." Cisco said, shaking himself slightly. Ronnie Raymond ran out to them, stopping to wrap an arm around his fiancée.

"The only one who did what? Is that, lipstick?" Ronnie tilted his head, looking at the blue mark that managed to stand out against Cisco's dark skin.

"The blue vigilante from Starling City. She was here. She kissed me and said; 'you be Han, and I'll be Leia. I'll tell you I love you but you'll already know.' She said she loved me. I think." The three of them walked into the lab and headed to the cortex, not realizing that Cisco had just had a recording device tucked into his jacket pocket.

"Don't let it worry you Cisco, if she's one of the vigilantes, she's crazy." Tala laughed as she heard Caitlin through the earpiece connected to the device on her little kitten.

"That's not reassuring. Crazy is dangerous." Cisco responded. Tala removed her hood and tucked it back into her coat, and removed her sky blue mask.

"Cisco, it's a great name. You'll see me again Little Kitten."

Tala returned to Barry's lab and changed into a deep blue dress with heels that matched the color of her mask. Her hair was curled and teased into a ridiculous crown, accented with jewelry she stole back when she was with the League. Ra's said she could keep it since the original owner was dead. She smiled at her reflection in the window of the hired car. Barry had gone with Iris, Detective West's daughter, but she - as a major investor - was invited to be at Harrison's side when he turned on the machine. She stepped out of the car with the practiced grace of an assassin, and the daughter of a billionaire.

A hand reached out to help her out of the car, she took it and smiled at, "Doctor Wells, I cannot tell you what it means to finally meet you."

"Well, after how much you and the Merlyn Global Group donated to Star Labs, this is the least I could do in return. And please, call me Harrison."

Tala smiled at him as she looped her arm through his as he led her into the laboratory. She looked around her at everything that was casually on display. Harrison stopped them at an elevator. There was a design for a pocket charger for cell phones on the wall. She looked it over with the careful eye of a mechanical engineer.

"Is this your design, for this charger?" She asked, running through a few different equations in her head. The elevator dinged and she allowed herself to be led into it before he answered in the negative.

"No, though it is a work of genius. That was designed by one of my mechanical engineers, Francisco Ramón. If you'd like, I could introduce you?" Tala smiled, wondering if that was the man she had accosted earlier that afternoon. Her free hand traced her voice distorter around her throat, carefully disguised as a tanzanite encrusted silver choker necklace.

"I think I would like that. I have an idea that could prevent it from overheating in the pocket that I believe, Francisco you said, would appreciate." Harrison looked at her questioningly. "Despite being a CEO, I actually have my masters in mechanical engineering. That is the reason why my father, and then myself invested so much into your company. I asked him to. I never wanted to fill the stereotype of the dumb rich girl. So I studied hard and joined the military. Before getting lost at sea anyway."

"You're a very well rounded woman, miss Merlyn." They stepped out of the elevator and Tala looked around the cortex, impressed.

"Wow." She muttered to herself.

"If I could have everyone's attention please? Allow me to introduce miss Tala Merlyn, CEO of the Merlyn Global Group. She has donated over a hundred million dollars to Star Labs toward the particle accelerator project over the past six years." Tala blinked as the people there actually started applauding at her. She glanced up at Doctor Wells before stepping forward, her heels making soft steps as she did.

"Thank you. Many people have asked me why I donate and invest into this company. Previously because they didn't understand how a fourteen year old could understand what a particle accelerator was, but more recently because of my father's legacy as the man who tried to destroy the Glades of Starling City. My reasoning is that with the advances this machine - your machine - could make, science and technology could advance to push my city to new heights and repair the damage my father has done. So I thank each one of you for your hard work. Thank you." Tala rolled her tongue in her mouth, trying to figure out where her speech had come from, and if it was as well received as she'd hoped. Before she could ask him, Doctor Wells was leading her over to Cisco from earlier. He had cleaned up and was now wearing a button up shirt and a very loose tie under a zip up hoodie. His hair was tucked behind one ear, making him look adorable, Tala thought to herself.

"Cisco, Tala here was asking me about your design in the main lobby - the pocket charger. Tala, I'm going to check on my speech for later if you need me, but I'm sure Cisco will take good care of you." He walked away leaving Cisco with the assassin.

"What is your interest in the pocket charger? Is it academic or personal?" Cisco asked, looking at the girl in front of him with a decent amount of interest. He idly wondered if she could be convinced to celebrate their inevitable success that night with him back at his place. She bit her silver painted bottom lip before answering him, in Spanish, which surprised him.

"Both actually. I use enough portable electronics in my day-to-day work and personal life to see the necessity of a portable charger. But what I really wanted to talk to you about is nitrogen. Your charger will overheat in the pocket, from the user's body heat and the heat from electricity. However, if you could infuse nitrogen through it, have it breath nitrogen from the atmosphere, I believe it would hold a longer charge, and stay cooler while in use." Cisco stared at her, impressed, both from her analysis of his design, and her flawless usage of his native language. Cisco was fairly certain he was in love with this girl. Tala smiled at his surprise, "I assure you Francisco, there is so much more to me than a pretty face." She winked at him, startling him enough to form a coherent sentence.

"Let me show you my design plans, you can tell me more about what you had in mind." Tala gave him a lecherous grin, having more in mind than just his design plans, but she followed along behind him.

Tala spent an hour with Cisco talking about his charger design plan. He not only knew his stuff, but he dropped movie references in every other sentence. Tala was already smitten with him. She was about to pose a question to him when Harrison came back into the cortex to start turning on the accelerator. Cisco pulled a chair up for her to watch from alongside Caitlin's office space.

"Doctor Wells, we just got the latest weather report." Cisco said, as Harrison Wells entered the cortex. Tala watched Francisco with a predator's eye and a slight smirk on her face. Her friend who used to work here had mentioned him to her before, but she couldn't see the disdain he'd had for the little mechanical engineer. "A big thunderstorm is rolling in." Tala shuddered slightly, her dislike of thunderstorms well known by her friends, especially Sara who had held her through a few.

"We're not launching a space shuttle, we'll be fine." Harrison countered, looking at two different computer screens monitoring the Labs from Star Labs satellite. Feeling slightly unsettled, Tala pulled her cell phone out and aimed the Merlyn Global Group satellites at the building she was in, hoping she could put another set of eyes on a potential problem. She shuddered again, and rubbed her left hand over the burn scars on her right shoulder. Cisco saw, and asked her if she was cold, already removing his jacket to drape around her shoulders. She pulled it on, rolling the sleeves up and zipping it slightly. Tala also removed a few pins from her hair, letting it fall in blue and brown waves around her shoulders. She quickly moved after him, hovering a few inches behind his place at the computers in the center of the room.

"Can you do me a favor to soothe a paranoid mind?" She asked him quietly, pulling gently on his arm.

"Of course Tala. What can I do for you?" He asked, smiling eagerly - whether at helping her or their soon to be success she couldn't tell.

"I don't like thunderstorms, never did, but the Queen's Gambit going down during one made that a dislike bordering on a fear. I have a duffle bag, dark blue with silver stitching in the CSI lab at CCPD, if anything happens to me, can you bring that bag here? Please?" She looked at him, genuine fear in her eyes. Cisco nodded and smiled at her reassuringly.

"I can do that for you. As long as you do something for me?" She looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "Tomorrow, go for coffee with me?" Tala beamed at him.

"Definitely, Chisana Koneko." She winked at his surprised face before moving back to the chair she was in earlier. She watched as he stuttered for a moment before pulling himself together.

"Doctor Wells," Cisco called from across the room. "The accelerator is primed and ready for particle injection." Tala couldn't help but grin at his proud and eager expression. Harrison turned and walked over to the computers.

"Well, I feel I should say something profound, like one small step for man." Tala giggled and stood, moving to stand nearer to Cisco and Harrison, excited not only as an investor who stood to gain billions, but also as an engineer who stood to gain knowledge. "All I can think of to say is I feel like I've waited for this day for centuries." Harrison looked at his team, before smiling at Tala and starting the process.

"That's it? You'd think there'd be like a loud bang." Cisco said, almost sounding disappointed. Tala laughed at him, moving to casually wrap an arm around his waist.

"If there was a loud bang, we'd all be in big trouble." Ronnie said, looking at Cisco and Tala in shock.

"Take it from the guy who helped build it." Caitlin said, her voice fond and full of pride.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we did it." Harrison crowed, a proud look of accomplishment settling on his face. Everyone in the room applauded, Tala leaned against Cisco excitedly. Harrison grabbed a bottle of champagne and popped it open, making Tala grin.

"I love champagne. Stop me after four glasses though. Else I'll never stop drinking it." She whispered in Cisco's ear, getting closer than strictly necessary. She could feel his arm tense under where she'd pressed herself against him. Tala froze when she saw the champagne float out of the bottle as if in zero gravity, a curious look on her face. She quickly stepped in front of Cisco, just in case, not knowing what to expect. The bubbly floated up, everyone watching it curiously before it fell to the floor at Harrison's feet. As it hit the ground an alarm went off. Tala felt every muscle in her body tense up in anticipation. There was a loud bang.

"There's your loud bang Francisco." Tala said, grinding her teeth. Cisco started typing on a computer, trying to find what went wrong.

"There's an anomaly in the ring structure." Cisco said as he figured out the problem. Tala leaned forward and started unstrapping her heels, knowing she would be of better help when she could run. She fingered the halves of her bow staff that she had secured to her legs, wondering if she would need them.

"The ring's structural integrity is holding." Caitlin informed them

"It started a chain reaction, we need to shut it down." Tala swore under her breath. He told her there was going to be a problem. He told her not to come, she didn't listen. "The system is collapsing. We need to shut it down." Harrison said, giving a series of commands to the computer. Tala typed a message to her friend, two words 'Damn you.' He would understand, he was smart.

"We can't ramp down the accelerator from here, we need to do it manually." Cisco said, shooting Tala a panicked look. She felt the world slow down as her assassin's instincts took over. She felt a calm steal over her, and she knew it reflected in her eyes when Cisco relaxed slightly. Tala ran her thumb over her lips, knowing they turned blue when his eyes widened. Cisco knew who she was now.

"Go!" Harrison said, still typing. Tala chased after Cisco, determined to do something. She knew an explosion here would cause catastrophic damage to Central City.

"I'll come with." Ronnie said, turning to run with them.

"Ronnie, no!" Caitlin protested.

"I'm the lead engineer, I know how to operate the shutdown valve." He explained, looking at her. Tala watched them, she didn't want him to come down, he was a liability.

"It's not safe!" Caitlin said.

"Cait, I have to go." He kissed her and turned, nodding at Tala. They both ran after Cisco to the accelerator.

"I'm helping, don't you dare tell me no, I'm an engineer too, I know that these things usually require three points of contact." Ronnie nodded, his face set in a grim line. The three of them made it to the door and Ronnie opened it before turning to Cisco. Tala pulled on the magic Damian taught her and rolled her shoulders as her armor materialized around her. "Better safe than sorry." Her voice wasn't distorted, as she didn't place her mask on. She adjusted the hood as Ronnie gave instructions to Cisco.

"Stay here, we've only got a few minutes before this thing blows. If I'm not back in time, initiate lockdown."

"No way! I am not closing this door, I won't be able to open it!" Cisco protested.

"Cisco, if you don't seal off this blast, everyone in this building will die, including Caitlin. Okay, now promise me!" Ronnie demanded. Tala nervously flexed her fingers, pulling at her fingerless gloves. The arrows in the quiver on her calf rattled as the building shook. Cisco heaved a sigh and nodded. "Set your watch, two minutes."

"You're coming back, both of you." Cisco said, showing a confidence he didn't feel. Ronnie took off running down the pipeline, Tala grabbed Cisco by his tie and pulled him against her, kissing him, turning his lips blue with her lip stain. She turned and ran after Ronnie, hoping that that wasn't her last kiss. She didn't see behind her that Cisco touched his lips gently in shock.

Her and Ronnie worked quickly, hitting every shutdown valve they could catch, but they weren't doing anything.

"Ronnie, we can't shut down something this far activated. This isn't a computer we can unplug. It's an explosion, we need to shape it. Send it upwards rather than out. It'll fill this area, but I think I can protect you enough to ensure your survival. Hit that switch, and program that to alter its course to a Z axis at fifty degrees." Ronnie did as she demanded, not wasting time arguing with her.

"Ensure my survival? What about your own?" He asked, programming a second set of commands to ensure the blast went up. Tala flinched as her mental countdown hit fifty seconds.

"I may adore Cisco, my Chisana Koneko, but he would not mourn me if am I to die. You have a fiancée and a future with her. If I can save your life, it will have been a good mission. My family will know of my passing. Hazards of an assassin." Ronnie flipped a switch and she knew their time was nearly up.

"You're an assassin?"

"Heir to the Lord of the League of Assassins. He and a man called Damian Darhk trained me. Damian taught me magic. I'm the blue Vigilante from Starling City." Ronnie glanced at her as they sprinted back to the vault door, hoping but both knowing they weren't going to make it. Tala was ten feet behind Ronnie, running as fast as she could, they had fifteen seconds. She looked up and saw Ronnie nearly there, he had six feet left. She tripped over the uneven floor, and tumbled, rolling. Ronnie skid to a stop and sprinted back to her, hauling her to her feet and pulling her along. They reached the vault door. It was closed, locked just before they appeared. Ronnie pulled out a radio.

"Cisco can you hear me?" He shouted into the piece of tech.

"Ronnie it's me!" Tala heard Caitlin's voice come out, she saw the pain flit across Ronnie face, and she hardened her resolve to save him. She would save him.

"Caitlin," Ronnie panted. The temperature in the pipeline was rising, making her sweat under her armor. "Is Cisco there?" He asked.

"Yeah, Ronnie, I'm here, I'm listening." Cisco's voice came through. Tala smiled, thinking of the cute engineer. She was glad he was her last kiss. Tala pressed the SOS button on her choker. It would send a message to Oliver and Nyssa, telling them both where she was and that she was in trouble, big trouble.

"We adjusted the magnets to redirect the beam. Tala's a genius. To try and vent the system so the blast goes up and not out."

"I'll need to reset the particle parameters to compensate." Cisco said.

"Cisco's doing it." Caitlin came through again. "There has to be another way out of there, you have to find it."

"Cait, the chain reaction, I can't reverse it. The doors need to stay shut to protect you." Tala leaned over Ronnie, to offer some protection from the sparks the accelerator was throwing off. "You still there?"

"I'm here." Caitlin sounded close to tears.

"Caitlin, whatever happens..." Ronnie fell silent as he saw past Tala, seeing the light of the explosion.

She turned over her shoulder and saw what she anticipated killing her. She fell to her knees, covering as much of Ronnie as she could. The assassin felt true fear for the first time since the Queen's Gambit exploded from under her. Under her breath, she cast a protection spell Damian taught her, but couldn't finish it before the accelerator completely exploded. Tala met Ronnie's eyes, and knew nothing more.

It wasn't until seventy-four hours later, that Francisco Ramón was able to get into the accelerator to see if Ronnie and Tala were alright. Doctor Harrison Wells sat in his wheelchair at the door, looking in at the damage caused by the explosion. Cisco found Tala to the right of the door, lying in a heap on the floor, with blood trickling from several places on her face, though at this point, all the blood was dry. Her dress had tears on her back and along her leg, some of which looked singed. Cisco's jacket was still wrapped around her, although missing one sleeve.

"Doctor Wells! I found Tala, she's alive, just injured, there's a lot of blood here." Cisco said, gently feeling for a pulse on her neck. He gently pressed his way down her spine, making sure nothing was broken before he tenderly lifted her into his arms to carry her to Caitlin's office, which they had turned into a makeshift doctor's office. Doctor Wells kept searching for Ronnie, but they already said they didn't expect to find anyone else down there - Tala's survival being something near a miracle. Cisco laid her down on the hospital bed they had appropriated for this specific purpose. After getting her relatively comfortable, he glanced down at the bag she had asked him to fetch. Cisco didn't know how she knew something bad was going to happen, but he couldn't deny that she was right. The particle accelerator had exploded, apparently had killed Ronnie, put Tala in a coma and nearly destroyed Star Labs. He shook his head in frustration at their failure. Cisco left the room and went back to his 3D model of Star Labs, trying to find what went wrong, his best working theory was that when the particles collided, they were at the wrong speed and had tried to cause an unstable singularity, which caused the explosion. He groaned in frustration, and reached for a red vine when the lights went out in the cortex.

"Damn it, Caitlin, the lights went out again - never mind. They're back on. That was," he trailed off as he turned, coming face to face with a very angry looking woman in all black, with a pink lining in her hood. "Who the hell are you?!" Cisco shrieked, his heart practically jumping into his throat.

"I am Nyssa Al Ghul. You will take me to my sister." She declared, staring at Cisco like a Queen would a particularly annoying servant.

"That would be possible, only if we knew who your sister was. We don't have, and haven't had anyone here by that name." Doctor Wells said as he wheeled into the room, his calm demeanor helping to soothe Cisco's rapidly beating heart.

"The'eb Sagheer, Tala Merlyn, I care not for what you call her, you will take me to my sister - I know she is here! You will bring me to her now or I will take great pleasure in killing everyone in this building, including the redhead hiding around the corner!" Cisco blanched as he realized that this Nyssa woman _would_ kill everyone here, and wouldn't blink an eye.

"Tala is in a coma, we just found her in the Pipeline. She's over here." Cisco said, waving the intruder over to where Tala was lying. Caitlin came into the room, looking slightly pale. She started moving around the unconscious woman, hooking her up to an IV and an EKG machine to monitor her vitals.

"Ms. Al Ghul, how did you know Tala was here? We haven't contacted her family yet." Caitlin asked as she worked. She motioned for Cisco to help her get the dress off in order for Doctor Snow to place heart monitors onto Tala's chest.

"Her necklace. It has a button on it that sends an alert out to her partner and me. She pressed it three days ago. Since she didn't retract it within a day, I came running. Her partner should be here within a day or so." Cisco and Caitlin worked quickly to remove the dress and her shoes. Cisco tossed his jacket in the trash, but Nyssa took the dress, looking at it closely.

"She wasn't wearing this when your machine exploded. Where is her trunk, do you know?" She demanded, glaring at Cisco and Caitlin. Cisco kicked it while helping Caitlin move things around, not bothering to answer the angry woman.

"Why do you think she wasn't wearing it? That is the same dress she was wearing at the party, and it is what we found her in." Doctor Wells asked from the doorway, looking at her interestedly. Nyssa showed him the inner lining of the neck of the dress. It showed silver thread, stitched in a specific pattern.

"She was taught things by my father's rival. A man more evil than you could imagine. This is a spell, one for protection. Had she been wearing this during the explosion, the thread would've burned away. She was wearing her armor." Nyssa sighed, sounding relieved. Both the assassin and the now paralyzed scientist started when Tala's EKG monitor spiked. Nyssa turned and saw Caitlin trying to remove the necklace that contained her voice distorter.

"No! You must never take this off of her." Caitlin immediately removed her hands from the necklace, blinking in surprise when her heart rate went back to normal.

"Why, why can't we remove it? It looks uncomfortable." Cisco asked, looking down at the unconscious girl. He now carried a damp cloth and looked like he was about to try removing her makeup, and the blood on her face.

"It's connected to her spinal chord. If you remove it, she will die." A deep voice spoke from behind Wells and Nyssa. Cisco jumped and shrieked again and Caitlin lost the remaining color in her face. Behind Nyssa was the green Starling City vigilante.

"Alaiqtisas." Nyssa greeted, in Arabic. Oliver Queen nodded to her in return, only knowing the word from when Tala would call him Vigilante when they started their crusade.

"Only she can remove it. You will have to wait until she wakes. Take care of my little sister, or I will help Nyssa find you. Just because I've sworn off killing, doesn't mean I won't help her track you all down. Nyssa." The vigilante nodded to her, before turning and leaving. Nyssa sat down in a chair, and opened Tala's trunk, sitting on top was her league armor, covered in dust and sporting many scratches in it.

"She was wearing this. It would have protected her, and whomever she was with." Nyssa declared.

"She tried to protect Ronnie." Caitlin whispered sadly, looking down at her.

"She's the other vigilante. I thought so, she kind of told me that, before she kissed me." Cisco said, looking down at her face, now free of makeup and blood. He felt as though he'd just been on a roller coaster, his head was spinning with all the revelations he'd had today. Nyssa smiled softly, having made up her mind.

"You will be the one to take care of my sister. She will stay with you once she regains consciousness, my father and I will send you money and anything you need to take care of her. As long as my sister stays with you, you will want for nothing. There is a reason my people referred to her as the wolf queen. She has chosen you as her pack." Nyssa was looking directly at Cisco when she spoke, leaving no question as to whom Tala would live with when she awoke.

"I live in a one bedroom apartment. I don't know how she can live with me." Cisco stuttered, blinking rapidly.

"Not anymore. I will buy off your contract. You will find a house, at least two bedrooms, preferably three, with space for her to continue her training. I will buy it in your name. I will return in a month. Make sure you have decided on a residence." And with that, Nyssa swept away, leaving the blue dress lying on the chair she had just vacated.

Nyssa Al Ghul returned in exactly a month. Cisco had found a house in Central City that he liked, and Nyssa bought it. Caitlin helped him move his things in, but expressed her concern about doing what this woman asked.

"Caitlin, when some crazy assassin princess demands you take care of another assassin princess, one who is also a vigilante with a history of putting arrows in people she doesn't like, you do what she asks. If Tala decides she doesn't want to live here, or with me, she can fight with Nyssa over it. I'm just going to do what I'm told so I don't die." Cisco said as he carried a box of his clothes up to the room he decided would be his. Caitlin laughed at his declaration, before running up the stairs at his shriek of panic. She burst in the room, but stopped dead when she saw the Starling City Vigilante standing by the window.

"I just came to see if you needed any help." His deep voice boomed in the small room.

"There are a few boxes we can't easily lift. They're labeled in red." Caitlin answered when she realized Cisco wasn't going to. "Thank you!" She said at his back when he headed down the stairs to the front room where the boxes were stacked.

"The Starling City vigilante is helping me move into my house. What the hell happened to my nice normal life?" Cisco asked the ceiling, looking up, probably for divine intervention.

"It exploded with the accelerator. Not that it was completely normal before that - you were kissed by an assassin that jumped off the highest point of Star Labs. Then she ran into the pipeline, and according to Nyssa, tried to save Ronnie. I don't think our lives could get any weirder." Caitlin answered, going back down to get another box.

"Never mind, I was wrong." Caitlin said gritting her teeth.

"Wrong about what?" Dr Wells asked her, looking over Barry Allen's vitals.

"Last month, I said our lives couldn't get any weirder, now we have Mister Allen here, and apparently his heart is too fast for a normal EKG monitor. I had to tempt fate." Caitlin pressed the two sensors on Barry Allen's chest, and sighed when the new monitor that Cisco fixed appeared to keep up with his racing heart. Two months had gone by since the accelerator exploded, and they now had an assassin, and a CSI staying in her office, which her and Cisco had worked to turn into a medical lab.

"Don't worry, Caitlin. I knew you were wrong three weeks ago." Cisco joked, unwrapping a green lollipop and sticking it in his mouth.

"How? We didn't have Barry here then."

"No, but I got a receipt for my water bill. The League of Assassins is paying my bills. She hasn't even woken up yet!"

"But she will wake up." Nyssa Al Ghul said, causing Cisco to jump, and bite down on his sucker. He rubbed his jaw, shooting her a dirty look. "I have asked my father to bring water from the Lazarus pit, and he is considering it. Hopefully next time I come, I will have means to wake her."

"Lazarus? Like the bible?" Cisco asked, still glaring.

"Yes, it is a fountain of water that can heal any injury, revive any person, and bring anyone back from the brink of death. I believe a few drops can also wake up my sister. Until then, try bringing her coffee. She likes it with vanilla or hazelnut creamer. She's also partial to Tchaikovsky's music. I will be back in a month." She left Star Labs, leaving behind three bewildered people, and two in a coma. Cisco sighed and tucked his hair behind his ears. Caitlin shook her head at the assassin that liked to just appear in their lab.

"Well, it must be nice not having to pay bills. Or for your house." Caitlin said, trying to stick to something normal.

"Yeah, means I can buy more things to build. I just need her to wake up; she gave me the idea for infusing nitrogen into my pocket chargers, so I feel like her name should be involved in it. Her lawyers won't sign it without her." Cisco complained.

"Just go finish working on your fireman thing. We really need to get Star Lab's name out of the mud." Caitlin said, shrugging her shoulders.

"How is she doing?" Iris West asked Caitlin when she came to visit Barry.

"The same, we've seen absolutely no changes in her, unlike Barry. His cells are regenerating, and he has every sign of waking up, if not soon, then by the end of the year at worst. She doesn't look like she would ever wake up. It's worrying Cisco, and her sister keeps appearing giving us all heart attacks. Her best friend nearly shot Cisco when he suggested that they should get her affairs in order. Starling City is a weird place full of weird people." Caitlin said, checking over both of her patient's vitals, and drawing blood from them both to compare to the samples she takes every week.

"How is her hair still blue like that? I'd expect it to have grown out a little bit by now." Iris asked, gesturing to the blue streak in her hair.

"Tala's sister brought the dye she uses and has demanded that Cisco touch up the roots at least every other week. She said that Tala would cry if she woke up to find her roots showing. Apparently she is very attached to that color."

"That is an understatement," a man's voice said from behind them, making both women jump.

"Are you a friend of hers? Or did Nyssa send you? I doubt the vigilante would send someone without a mask." Caitlin asked him, giving him a dirty look.

"No. Nyssa hates me, and so does the vigilante you're referring to. Tala is my daughter." Malcolm Merlyn said, sitting down on her bed and taking Tala's hand.

"You died. The vigilante killed you when the earthquake destroyed Starling City." Iris said, leaning back, away from the supposed dead man.

"There are places on this earth where death is an illusion. Word has now gotten out about Tala's condition; a few people you probably will not approve of will visit her. I suggest you be careful. Keep her trunk nearby, and if you need anything, please, call me." Malcolm set a card down on the small desk nearby and left just as suddenly as he appeared. The two girls looked at each other and swore they would never mention father's sudden visit to anyone but the Tala when she awoke.

"Here she is. I'm glad she has friends out there who would visit her. So far her only visitors have been an assassin and a vigilante in a green hood." Cisco said as he led a man to Tala's bed.

"That sounds like her usual friend group. And I'm certain that many have provided for her, but I would suggest mixing this plant in with her IV drip." The man handed a large resealable bag to Cisco. It was filled with a plant with purple leaves.

"What is it? I don't want to do anything that could hurt her." Cisco said, warily eyeing the plant. He knew if he even accidentally damaged her chances of recovering, both the Arrow and Nyssa would see him dead.

"It is now extinct, but it is a healing herb, infused with magic. Soak it in water and just let it drip, it should help her heal. It also acts as a wonderful painkiller when eaten. Just never mix it with alcohol - it'll react poorly and will become a strong aphrodisiac, not just like a date rape drug, it has a chemical composition that will react like a love potion. I've got scientists working to remove that specific side effect though, and will bring you some more within a month."

"Thank you Mr. Darhk, anything I can do to help Tala is appreciated." Cisco said, shaking his hand. Damian placed a hand on Tala's bare shoulder and whispered a spell he had used on his daughter when she broke her arm. It healed bones and muscles, hopefully helping her recover without the side effect of muscle atrophy. He nodded at her, then Cisco, and left, hoping his protégé would wake soon.

"I swear if the two of you don't wake up soon I'm going to have our mutual friend in green come here and beat you both stupid!" Felicity muttered to her two comatose friends with a huff.

"I've tried everything, though Tala seems to be doing better since her friends have brought her things. A weird plant, coffee, hair dye, someone she considered a sister came and burned incense for two hours. I nearly had an asthma attack." Caitlin said, passing Felicity a cup of coffee.

"Caitlin, they've been like this since December! It's April now. Tala's going to miss her birthday if she doesn't wake up soon. I was going to make her a cake." Felicity pouted, looking at her two friends. "It's been four months, and her friends back in Starling are getting concerned. I'm getting concerned."

Cisco walked in and told Felicity that he felt the same way. He set a steaming cup of coffee down on the table next to Tala. Everyone watched as her face turned slightly toward the cup.

"When did that start happening?" Felicity asked, hopeful that she would wake up soon.

"About two weeks ago. After a few people suggested that we bring her coffee, we noticed that she would turn slightly toward the smell of it." Cisco said, smiling.

"Have you tried holding it in front of her? If she turns to the side to smell it, maybe she'll wake up if you put it directly in front of her." Felicity suggested, before reaching for her phone as it went off. "Alright, I'm needed back in Starling, you'll keep working on that cure I asked you for, right?"

"I've got a few different maspectromitors analyzing a few different solutions that might work. I'll let you know as soon as we do." Caitlin stood and went to show her out. Cisco took her recently vacated seat and turned on the radio, letting Tala's CD play throughout the room. Her face was turned away from him, but he could picture it just fine. She looked younger without her makeup on - less like a deadly assassin and more like a girl in a coma. He looked up as he heard Caitlin returning. He made a face when he saw Nyssa following behind her.

"I have water from the Lazarus pit. Put it in an IV and give it to her, she should wake. I would even suggest mixing it with the plant mixture you have been giving her. I would stay to watch her wake, but I am needed in Starling. Have her contact me when she recovers." Nyssa handed a vial of water to Cisco, and gave him a deadly look. "This is for my sister only. If I discover that you gave it to him, I will not kill you, but you will wish I had." And with that she left again. Cisco shook his head at the assassin, and turned to pass the vial to Caitlin who transferred it to a syringe. The Lazarus water was quickly injected into the bag containing the purple plants Damian Darhk brought a month ago. The two waited with baited breath. Caitlin sighed when it didn't do anything, and left the room to run another test on the blood she had drawn the day before. Cisco sighed and placed his hand on Tala's.

"Do you think I should follow Felicity's advice? You seem to follow the coffee scent like a bloodhound. Maybe that is why the green vigilante calls you 'Little Wolf'? You do seem obsessed with the stuff." Cisco paused, looking at the Jitters logo. " What the hell, it won't hurt things." Cisco scoffed and grabbed the still hot cup of coffee from Jitters, and climbed onto her bed. He straddled her legs, just above her knees and placed the cup parallel to her collarbone and watched as she turned to keep facing it.

"You know, if this wasn't so funny, it'd be creepy." He slowly pulled to cup toward himself. "Now sit up and wake up so your creepy friends can call you instead of just appearing in here." He watched as she slowly sat up, and he wondered about her abdominal strength, because he knew he couldn't sit up this slowly. She sat up completely, as Cisco pulled the vanilla coffee against his chest. She opened her eyes, and Cisco nearly let out a shriek.

"Coffee?" Was the first thing she said. Cisco held out the cup with a shaky hand, and watched as she took it and eagerly sipped at it, closing her eyes and smiling when the flavor hit her tongue. She then scrunched up her face and looked at him.

"Cisco, malen'kiy kotenok, why are you sitting on me? And why are you staring at me?" He just blinked at her, not even noticing she spoke Russian.

"Caitlin! Felicity was right! You need to get in here!" He turned and shouted toward the bio-engineer. She came running in to find Cisco sitting on Tala Merlyn's lap while she drank coffee. Both women had a very bemused look on their faces while Cisco looked like he was in the middle of a panic attack.

Tala Merlyn took stock of her body as Doctor Caitlin "call me Cait" Snow ran a few tests on her to make sure the assassin hadn't suffered too badly during her four month nap. She kept most of her muscle mass, but made a resolution to get her weapons together and make sure she still had enough to fight.

"Everything appears to check out, I don't think the particle accelerator affected you at all, besides the coma." Caitlin decided as she finished her last test.

"I don't think that's right. Something feels, off about me, I just can't tell what it is. I feel, a bowstring, under my skin. Pulled taunt, shaking, waiting to be released. But I don't know how. How can we even test to see if there is something different - oh! My sensors. Where's my trunk?" Caitlin looked at her, trying to catch up.

"Tala, you babble more than Felicity." Cisco said as he walked back in the room, tossing a shirt at her. She grinned at the design; it was the galaxy with a 'you are here' pin.

"Occupational hazard. Neat shirt by the way. I put sensors on the towers, I was hoping to double check whatever came out of the accelerator. I was going to offer Doctor Wells a load of money if he would consider a merger with Merlyn Global Group if my sensors picked up anything new. It could give my stocks the boost they need. Now I'm considering buying Star Labs just to keep you guys afloat." Tala pulled the shirt on over her head and tugged her hair out of the collar. Cisco told her she was babbling again, making her smile sheepishly. "I'm going to do something fun, wanna come Cisco?"

Tala pulled her trunk out from under the bed she'd been laying on just a few hours prior. Cisco was watching from over her shoulder, as he had never been able to get the lock open.

"How does that lock work? Only your assassin sister could get in it. We couldn't get it open." Cisco asked, peering at the thing that looked like a normal padlock.

"Blood, my dear. It's a blood ward. I'll probably add you or Cait to it at some point, in case I need anything out of it." Tala placed her now bloody finger in her mouth and opened the trunk, revealing a whole lot of blue.

"I take it that is your favorite color?" Cisco asked, his eyes wide.

"I had a friend, back in the sixth grade. He told me that blue was the only color that was worthy of me wearing it. He was an ass, but was the only friend I had that year. He also taught me Japanese. I took what he said to heart and from then on, blue was an integral part of my wardrobe. Much to my green counterpart's disappointment. He wanted me in a different shade of green so we could match. Nyssa wanted me in pink. I've never liked that color." She grabbed her bow and her mask, slipping it into place on her face. Her dark hair staying under the band, her blue hair falling gently over it, covering one eye, until she flicked it out of the way. "Come with me." Tala held out a hand, looking Cisco in the eye. Her voice distortion necklace doing its job and giving her a hypnotic sounding voice, thicker and full of an accent Cisco couldn't place.

"Okay. I trust you, Leia." Cisco said, referring to the first thing she ever said to him. Tala flashed a very white smile at him, before swiping the pad of her thumb across her lips. Cisco watched as they magically turned a shade of dark blue. She winked at him and led him out to the front of Star Labs. She held his hand within her left hand, and her bow in her right. "What are we doing out here? I expected your sensors to be in the pipeline."

"Not quite love." Tala drew an arrow with blue and silver fletching from the quiver fastened around her thigh, and fired it at the top of the closest tower. It had grappling attached to the belt of her league armor. She pulled Cisco close, her right arm around his waist while her left held her bow. "Hold tight."

"Wait, no!" Cisco shouted as he frantically threw his arms around her neck just as the wire pulled them both up to the arrow. Tala pressed her feet to the steel beams exposed where they landed, and pushed Cisco up to the flat surface. She clambered up herself once she saw he had his balance. "Why did you do that?! That was horrifying!" Cisco shouted at her, staring at the arrow still lodged in place.

"Just wait until we go back down. There's nothing better than a freefall. You can wait here while I get the other two if you want." Tala said, kneeling to find the sensor she left there back in December. She pulled it free and dropped it in her pocket on the inside of her armor jacket.

"Oh hell no, you are not leaving me up here by myself!" Cisco responded, turning to face her, some of his panic having faded by now.

"It's a great view, isn't it?" Tala asked, looking at the engineer in front of her, while he looked over the city. "The next tower has a better one, you can take a picture for Cait and Doctor Wells. C'mon."

Cisco enjoyed the next zip line better, as he was less surprised by the sudden takeoff. And he realized she was right, the view was amazing. He pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures for Cait. Tala took a selfie on his phone of the two of them with the skyline in the background. She sent it to her phone so she could send it to Oliver and Thea. She put the second sensor with the first and they zip lined over to the last tower. The view wasn't as good, this one facing the river and the forest nearby. Tala pocketed the last sensor and turned to face Cisco, who was facing the forest, taking more pictures, probably just to document his being up at the top of the towers.

"Ready to get to get back to the ground? I'll give you an option of a free fall or another zip line." Tala asked him, slipping into Spanish. Cisco spun around, shock on his face; he had probably forgotten she spoke it. Tala watched as his surprise about her language choices quickly morphed into sheer terror at there not being any ground beneath his foot. He looked at her and fell as if in slow motion. Tala screamed and reached out a hand, as if to catch him, even as she did, knowing that Cisco was falling faster than she could catch him. She knew she didn't have any arrows in her quiver to catch him - not without putting a grappling arrow through his shoulder. She took a step and a half forward, hoping to catch a last glance at him. When she looked down, she saw Cisco holding on to a blue tendril that appeared to have formed a basket around him. He was kneeling in it, one hand gripping the edge of whatever it was that caught him. He looked at her with wide eyes, not completely understanding what caught him. On a hunch, Tala thought about the basket moving up to place Cisco on the surface of the tower. She moved her hands the way a telekinetic would to help them concentrate, and gaped as it did exactly that. When Cisco had both feet firmly on the ground, the blue basket dissipated, turning into tendrils that appeared to flow back into Tala. She moved as quick as she dared toward Cisco and pulled him into a rib-cracking hug, babbling rapidly in Spanish.

"Oh Cisco, I thought I lost you! I didn't know how to save you, and I knew I couldn't have caught you in time if I'd jumped, I am so so sorry!" Her fearful apologies gave way to tears as Cisco gently returned the hug, rubbing circles on her back to calm her down.

"It's alright pequeño lobo. I'm alright, and you found out how the accelerator affected you. Cerulean Spellcaster." Cisco said, giving her a Meta nickname, making her giggle. She pulled out of the hug and wiped at her eyes around the mask.

"You know I already have a vigilante nickname, right? The'eb Sagheer. Come, I doubt either of us wants a free fall on the way down. I'll set up a zip line."

"Control over what though?" Cait asked as they walked back into the cortex.

"I think it's dark matter. Or, blue dark matter. It was definitely blue, but see through, like that glitter glue that every kid had when they were five."

"Mine was purple." Cisco commented, sitting at his workstation. Tala laughed at him as Doctor Wells wheeled into the room. He went past her and she felt something, but she didn't know what. The feeling passed, so she ignored it.

"Tell me exactly what you felt, what you did, what happened." Harrison said, resting his chin on his hand. Tala sat on the desk near Cisco and sighed.

"We were on the top of the towers. I was collecting data sensors I'd placed there last year. Cisco was with me, admiring the view. On the third tower, I asked him how he wanted to get down, a free fall, or a zip line. I'd slipped into Spanish, and I guess it startled him. He turned to face me too quickly and slipped. I wasn't fast enough to catch him, but the magic, the blue stuff did. It was like he was in a basket of the stuff. I was able to move it, whether it was responding to what I wanted it to do, or if it was my movements, I don't know, but it saved Cisco's life." Tala's voice shook slightly, and Cisco placed his hand on her shoulder. She took a steadying breath before looking up at him.

"You two were up on the towers?" Caitlin asked, incredulous. Tala grinned and nodded, removing the three disks from her inside pocket. "What would possess you to do something so stupid? I can't believe you were up there, and to put Cisco's life at risk like that? Are you truly so involved with being an assassin that you care so little for someone else's life like that? If you hadn't become a metahuman, Cisco - my best friend - would be dead, lying down on the ground, broken and alone." Caitlin screamed at Tala, ignoring the fact that the assassin in question had burst into tears and was shaking like a leaf. Tala was looking at her hands in her lap, before she took a deep breath and stood slowly.

"You're right. I shouldn't have taken those risks. I shouldn't have taken Cisco up there without knowing that he would be protected. Here is the data on everything that happened, or came out of the accelerator when it exploded. You'll probably have to translate it, it's in Arabic. Thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious." Tala placed the disks on Cisco's desk and turned to leave. She was at the doorway when Cisco called out to her.

"Wait, Tala." The assassin heard him stand and start walking over to her. She felt for the new power within her and pushed, placing a clear blue barrier between them. "Tala," Cisco repeated when he felt the wall between them. Tala turned and looked him in the eye.

"I won't put you in danger. Not on purpose, or on accident. She's right, I'm an assassin - I'm supposed to be on my own, not around people. Give Barry my best when he wakes up. Goodbye Francisco." Tala climbed in the elevator, and a tendril of her magic brought her the blue trunk, closed and locked. Before the elevator closed, Cisco saw her pull her armor hood over her head and adjust her mask. After the doors closed, the barrier fell and Cisco let his hand fall to his side. He ran to his desk and started typing, trying to get the elevator to stop so he could get to Tala before she left. He let out a cheer when it worked.

"I will deal with you later Doctor Snow. For now I have to make sure Tala doesn't leave, or did you forget her assassin princess sister threatened me with death if Tala is ever unhappy?"

Tala felt the elevator shudder to a stop and knew that Cisco had hacked it. She couldn't believe she had put him in danger like she had. Oliver and Sara had been able to protect themselves, Cisco hadn't and she had nearly gotten him killed. She looked up and saw the service hatch. She easily popped it open with a short sword strapped to her right thigh. It was just climbing a rope upward to get to the next floor. Tala used the sword to get leverage to open the heavy doors. She pulled her trunk up and crawled onto the floor after it. Tala exited the front doors just as Cisco ran around the corner. By the time he got out the doors, the blue assassin was speeding away on her motorcycle. Cisco swore and slammed the door, running back to the cortex.

Caitlin watched Cisco chase after the assassin who nearly had him killed, confusion written all over her face. Doctor Wells saw this and moved his wheelchair to be in front of her.

"She nearly killed him. If she hadn't caught him, he would be dead. After Ronnie, I can't lose anyone else, especially not Cisco. He's my best friend, and he's been here for me after losing Ronnie." She sank into the chair behind her and buried her face in her hands.

"Caitlin, Tala's recklessness aside, Cisco did go with her willingly. And she did save him. When she was telling her story, she was terrified. I've never seen someone as scared as Miss Merlyn was when she told us she nearly lost Cisco. I've no fear that Nyssa will return for revenge - if Tala tells her that she left of her own free will, Cisco will be in no danger. The only danger will be Cisco beating himself up for letting her leave. I think our Cisco has grown quite fond of her." Doctor Wells stopped talking when he heard Cisco's hurried footsteps coming back into the cortex.

"She's gone. Where is that card, I need to call her father. He might be able to find her." Cisco walked into the medical room where an unconscious Barry still laid. He quickly found the card that Malcolm Merlyn had left there a few months ago and dialed the number.

"Merlyn." Malcolm Merlyn answered the phone, knowing that the only people who had this number knew who he was and knew he was alive.

"Tala woke up. The explosion gave her control over some weird dark matter thing that she used to save my life after almost accidentally killing me by startling me off the edge of a very tall building. My friend Caitlin Snow yelled at her for it and Tala appeared to have a depressive episode and she left, taking her things with her. Her control over her new powers aside, I didn't want her to leave, and I really didn't want her to leave thinking I hated her because I don't, and whether she stays here or not, I need her to know that. Do you know where she would've gone, or how I can find her?" Cisco rattled off as fast as he could, trying to make sure that the man Iris and Caitlin once described as 'Creepy and terrifying' didn't try and kill him over the phone.

"She's either returned to Starling, gone to Nanda Parbat, or went to find Damian Darhk to work on her control. I'll come to Central City. Do her a favor and make sure whomever it was that upset my daughter is well out of my way. I will not be as forgiving." The phone call ended abruptly and Cisco turned to face Caitlin and Doctor Wells.

"Her father is coming here to help me find her. He only asks that you aren't here when he is. Go home Caitlin. I know you said what you did out of compassion and fear for my life, but I am fine. I just want Tala to know that I don't hate her." Cisco said, worry filling his voice.


	2. 102 Acceptance

Malcolm Merlyn stalked through Star Labs, barely sparing a glance at the other coma patient they had adopted.

"I found her. And you're welcome. You Mister Ramon are the only person I will allow to know her location. She is in her office. Apparently the one place you lot never bothered look for her. Here is a badge that will get you past security, and here is an actual suit for you to wear so you don't look out of place in my building. You will put this on before you enter or security will get you." Malcolm threw a duffel bag at Cisco's chest that the engineer only barely caught. Cisco nodded, and turned to go change. By the time he got back, Merlyn was gone. Cisco grumbled as he straightened the jacket out. He tucked his hair back behind his ears and left the cortex.

"Miss Merlyn, there is a mechanical engineer here to see you." A disembodied voice said from the PA system sitting on Tala Merlyn's desk. She sighed and dragged her newly pink fingernails through her brown hair.

"I wasn't aware I had a meeting at two today? I thought that since the board cancelled I was free." Tala said, glaring at the speaker and the microphone.

"He is a walk in, but he has a badge and all the proper credentials. He claims he's from the Starling City branch." Tala sighed.

"Send him up." She sighed again. She took the two minutes she knew it would take the engineer to get up to her office to fix her makeup. A small compact mirror flashed fuchsia lips and gently winged eyeliner. She tilted her head to the side and placed a gentle finger on her cheekbone, blending out her highlighter. Her mental countdown was nearing its end so she quickly shut the mirror and pulled out a file on her Starling City branch.

Cisco Ramon adjusted the jacket of his suit and walked into the office with the name Tala Merlyn painted on the door in pink letters. He mentally questioned the color, remembering that she told him that she didn't like that color because of Nyssa always trying to push her into it.

"Hi, you must be my engineer from, Starling right? I'm Tala Merlyn, you can call me Tala." She stood up from behind her desk and leaned forward to shake his hand. Cisco glanced at the perfectly manicured pink nails, the lack of blue hair, and the dress. Tala noticed his staring and withdrew her hand, making a face. "Please take a seat, mister?"

"Tala, it's me, Cisco. I know it's been a month, but you can't really have forgotten about me." Cisco huffed at the blank look on her face. "Look, I understand why you left, Caitlin was just overly worried and acted out of character. She has apologized to me and Doctor Wells many times already, and she wants you to come back so she can apologize to you. I don't understand the pink everything, but you can come back, we can add your blue stripe again. We can learn about your powers together and we can help you get stronger with them. I've been working on creating a new suit for you- in blue of course, so you don't have to wear your bulky armor all the time. I'm also working on building you a new bow, one that might be a little lighter while keeping all its strength. You'll love it. And Doctor Wells was looking at your blood and said that the matter has coated and infused with your cells. I'm not bio so I don't really know what that means though."

"What that means, mister Cisco is that you were obviously affected by the explosion that your Doctor Wells caused. My company was going to invest in his venture, but now I am glad that my father decided against that move. I don't need a new suit, I am perfectly comfortable in my dresses and heels, as the CEO of a multi billion-dollar company, it is practically expected of me, and I have no idea why I would wear armor, or need a bow. You clearly have me confused with someone else. Now, please leave, I am a very busy woman." Tala said, removing her eyes from his and looking down at the file in front of her, which she signed the page with a visible flourish. "And you are still here. Right, I'm calling Security. I don't know who you are, and I don't appreciate this intrusion."

"Tala I know it's you! And if you take off that suit jacket you'll prove who you are by the burn scars and the tattoos you used to cover them. Nyssa told me that you had her design the one on your thigh since you considered her a sister." Tala looked up at him with cold eyes and pressed the button on her desk to call for security. She then stood up and moved to the front if her desk. She was standing between Cisco and her desk, leaving only a few inches of space between them.

"All it will take to prove to you I've no idea who you are is me removing my jacket? Fine." Tala unbuttoned the white jacket and slipped it from her shoulders, revealing creamy white skin, unmarred by tattoos or scars. "I do not have a sister, only a brother who died in Starling City's earthquake trying to save his girlfriend. My father was killed in the same earthquake, accused of horrible things by Moira Queen, then shot in the chest with an arrow by their vigilante. I am now an orphan who has a company to run. Good day to you. Security, take this man out of here. Escort him from the building and confiscate the badge that allowed him in here." With a huff, Tala sat herself back down in her office chair.

Cisco was dropped on the concrete outside the Merlyn Global Group building by the two men Tala had called on him. Cisco tugged on his hair in confusion and frustration as he looked up at the top of the building. The girl sounded like Tala, she acted like Tala, and she sort of looked like Tala, but Cisco couldn't understand why she didn't recognize him. Unless she was acting. Cisco gritted his teeth and tried to think of a plan.

Tala searched through her purse for her car keys as she walked out of the lobby of her building. She grinned in triumph when her fingers closed around the keys to her sleek black convertible. She unlocked her car and reached for the passenger door to toss her purse in when something heavy hit her in the back of the head, and Tala Merlyn knew no more.

Cisco panicked slightly as he tried to carry the unconscious Tala into his house. She was a little heavier than her small size alluded to, and he was an engineer, not a bodybuilder. He carried her into the basement he and the green vigilante had worked together on to turn into the assassin's perfect training room. There was a small archery range, a Salmon ladder, which the man in the green hood had declared she would love, a punching bag and some other things Cisco didn't know what to do with. He sat her on a table the Arrow said she would probably use to make weapons on, and looked around for a way to restrain her. He settled on using a rope to secure her waist. He shook his head after he tied the knot, wondering how he'd gotten to turning into a kidnapper. He pulled up a chair and waited for her to regain consciousness.

Tala Merlyn sat in her office at Merlyn Global Group, and checked the GPS tracker she had on her body double. As soon as her father said that Cisco was looking for her, she decided a test was in order. An assassin didn't do stupid things, and the daughter of the Magician definitely did everything in her power to keep herself safe. Malcolm told her Cisco was coming, so she swapped places with a member of HIVE that Damian Darhk had loaned her so she could be in two places at once if she needed to be. Her name was Emma, and was well trained in Tala's mannerisms and fighting styles. Tala donned her league armor and left her office through a staircase she had made certain stayed off the blueprints. As soon as she was outside she kicked her motorcycle to life and drove over to where Emma was being held by Cisco. Slipping into the shadowed basement was easy, especially with Damian helping train her in her powers. Tala watched as Emma slowly came to consciousness. She sat up but was prevented from leaving the table by the restraining rope Cisco had cleverly used. He threw a cloth at her, that landed on the table with a wet sound.

"Wipe off the concealer hiding the tattoos on your shoulder and thigh. Nyssa told me about them both, she told me you asked her to design the one on your thigh because she was your best friend and practically your sister. You told me you put the one on your shoulder because you didn't like looking at the burn scars in the mirror. I don't know what drugs you're on, but this isn't you. You told me that your friend in sixth grade told you blue was the only color worthy of you - and that you hate the color pink. I spent four months maintaining your blue streak, and you threw it away for what? This isn't you Tala!" Cisco yelled at Emma.

"Kidnapping the CEO of a huge fortune 500 company. I'm impressed Cisco, I didn't think you had it in you." Tala said from the shadows, her voice distorted from her necklace. Cisco screamed and jumped, spinning around. Emma giggled from the table. Tala threw a dagger, severing the rope and allowing Emma to stand. "Go on home Emma, a car is outside waiting for you. I'll call you if I need this again. Tell Damian I said thank you, I owe him one." Cisco watched as the girl he kidnapped sauntered out of the basement, and the girl he meant to kidnap walked out of the shadows. She was wearing her blue armor with her blue hair visible even under her hood.

"What's going on Tala? I don't-" Cisco trailed off, looking at the woman in blue intently. He blinked rapidly as he suddenly got tunnel vision.

"Sleep Cisco," Tala hushed, walking closer to him. "We will discuss this in the morning." Cisco slumped over in his chair, unconscious. Tala sighed and removed her hood and mask, looking at Cisco. "Come along Kitten. Let's get you to bed." She said to him as she gently picked him up and threw him over her shoulder, carrying him up to his bedroom. She kicked open the door and carefully laid him on his side.

Tala removed his jacket and pulled a small syringe from the collar of his coat. Her father was brilliant. A small dose of an undetectable drug to see just how far he would go to apologize. She never expected him to go that far though. She laughed softly and set about pulling him out of the suit her father bought him. She hung it up and put it in his closet before pulling a shirt out for her to sleep in. It was a melting Rubik's cube, and it made her laugh. Tala pulled the thick quilt out from under the unconscious engineer with a quick movement and ducked under it. She looked at Cisco, and felt a small pang of guilt for drugging him the way she had. She placed a soft kiss to the back of his neck. She made a noise of surprise when he leaned back against her chest. Tala smiled to herself and let herself drift off to sleep, holding Cisco.

Tala woke up when sunlight poked through the curtains. She groaned and buried her face in the soft pillow in front of her. She froze when that same soft pillow moaned and moved underneath her head. Two seconds later she remembered Cisco; she groaned again and tried to sit up. She gave up halfway through the motion when she felt Cisco's arm wrapped around her waist like a vice.

"I need coffee Cisco, so you need to let go of me." Tala mumbled into his shoulder, poking him in the side. Cisco twitched away from the offending finger, rolling over, and pulling Tala with him. She let out an undignified squeak in Cisco's ear which finally woke him up. He stilled for a moment before his brain kicked into gear and he shrieked and pushed himself upright, leaning against the headboard of the bed, staring at Tala with wide eyes. "You're stronger in your sleep. I think you actually bruised my ribs."

"What happened?! Did I actually kidnap someone? Why would I do that? Why weren't they you? Oh my head." Cisco clutched his head, making a face like he had a hangover, and with the drug Malcolm and Tala gave him, he probably did.

"Coffee first then explaining. I don't want to shoot someone because you haven't been seen since two yesterday and they came looking. There is coffee here, right?" Tala rolled off the bed and stumbled to the door, only looking backward when she didn't hear Cisco following.

"No. No Tala, that's not how it's going to work. I don't know what happened last night, I remember going to see you, and finding some legally blonde wannabe behind your desk. I remember being dragged out of your office and dumped out of the sidewalk like week old garbage. I barely remember waiting for the Barbie doll to leave your office, and hitting her with a metal pipe before bringing her here. For fracks sake Tala I tied her up in my basement! What happened?!" Cisco yelled at her, looking at her with betrayal in his eyes. Tala sighed and stepped away from the door, moving toward the bed, only stopping when he flinched. "And then, then I wake up with you in my bed like this past month has been a bad dream - like you didn't run away from me and Caitlin and Doctor Wells. I think you owe me something. An apology, an explanation, something Tala. Anything."

Tala stared down at the floor, a thousand thoughts running a million miles an hour. She bit her lip and looked at her blue mask sitting on the nightstand where she set it. She padded over to it, picking it up gently and handing it to Cisco, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"When I was born, my mother and father were upset I was a girl. People like to take advantage of pretty little girls, and they didn't want me getting pregnant with an illegitimate heir to the Merlyn billions. Or worse, the father purposefully impregnating me so he could get the money. My father sent me away with a small group of caretakers and tutors, each specifically instructed to make me smart, pretty, graceful, and guarded. When I was eleven, I made my first real friend. He recognized me for who I was, a little girl trying to relate to her peers, but unable to because when another girl said she wanted a pony, she got a stuffed animal, and I got a twenty seven acre horse ranch near Keystone City. He taught me Japanese and told me to always wear blue because it was the only color regal enough for a little princess. After high school, I joined the army and was thrown into Special Ops where I agreed to a three-year tour. Two years into it, my dad found me and dragged me home. A year later - eight years ago I got on a boat with my brother in all but blood. He was my brother's best friend and was dating my girlfriend's older sister. All five of us were close. I didn't know she was on the boat. Just about a week later, Robert Queen and I made a seafood boil and I went to get Ollie for dinner. He was lying in bed, on top of my girlfriend. I stormed out onto the deck, wishing them both dead. Seconds later the boat exploded, sending me flying, burns and still open flames on my thigh and shoulder. I landed in the sea, a current pulling me away from the boat. I was the only survivor. I swam, floated and nearly drowned for almost two days. Eventually I found land, somewhere off the coast of Vietnam. It was a gravel beach, and I didn't have much strength, so I dragged myself half a mile on rough gravel, until I was found by Ra's Al Ghul, the leader of the League of Assassins." Tala took a deep breath, looking anywhere but at Cisco. "My father, blew up the boat, without telling me he was going to. He wanted Robert Queen dead so he wouldn't snitch on the Undertaking. He nearly sacrificed his own daughter on his revenge mission to destroy the Glades. I spent five years with the League of Assassins, and became the Demon Head's horseman within a year, thanks to the Army and my father's additional training. Any time a major person needed assassinated, it was done by my hand. Politics, greed, revenge, I've lost count as to how many people have fallen to my blade or my bow. Before I was sent back to civilization, Nyssa and her father, Ra's Al Ghul, agreed that I could share her title as daughter and heir to the demon."

Cisco listened to the girl in front of him, telling him about being an assassin. He watched as she couldn't bring herself to look at him, staring at the mask in his hand. She sounded heartbroken over her ordeal, and her father's insanity.

"I was just going to come back, I was released from my oath and had no obligation to anything except my studies. Then the green vigilante showed up. He asked me to join his crusade in cleansing the city from the people who hurt it, he begged me. I couldn't say no and ignore the plague in my city. It was almost fun, fighting crime with someone who quickly became my brother. The night of the earthquake, we sent Detective Lance to disarm the machine with the help of Felicity Smoak. We three fighters confronted my father. One of our number was dropped quickly. It was down to us two, green and blue against my father, the man I looked up to, the man who taught me magic tricks before bed, who bought me a ranch when I went through my horse phase. We had disarmed him when he grabbed me, I let myself get too physically close, not thinking I would have to be the one to end it, that it would be him not me. My father grabbed my neck and snapped it. My partner was grabbed next. Except he was smart. The third of us had come to, and fired an arrow at my partner. He pushed it through himself and into my dad. The only way to save me was this thing around my neck. It keeps my spinal cord in place so I don't just collapse." Tala placed her hands on the necklace and undid the buckle at the front, letting it just hang from the back of her neck, where it was secured in place, with tiny wires wrapped around her vertebrae. Cisco saw that she had tears rolling down her cheeks. "After I ran away from you at Star Labs, I was thinking about how I could've killed you. A friend of mine, Damian, actually had to immobilize me because I tried to take it off. He spelled me so I couldn't so much as twitch. I could've hurt you, I'm not a girl, I'm an assassin, a killer, and a monster. A wolf, one without a pack. I'm a dangerous animal and I don't want to, it would kill me to hurt you, even on accident. I'm not completely normal, Francisco, I get obsessive and clingy and distant and protective. And that's outside of a relationship. If I," Tala trailed off when Cisco reached over and buckled her necklace. She met his eyes, a thousand questions visible in hers.

"No one is perfect. I spend too many hours playing games and screaming at them. I've gone four days without sleeping because I got stuck on a project or something else. Doctor Wells actually had to drug me a few times to get me to sleep. I don't care about that. I just want you to explain why - how I kidnapped some girl that I thought was you. Please." Cisco pleaded, his right hand caressing her cheek, forcing Tala to look at him.

"My dad said you were looking for me. I was very far away, training with my new powers. Damian was excited about this - though he just thinks I was struck by lightning while performing a ritual. Damian is very good at gaining people's loyalty so Emma came to us, looking a little like me, saying she wanted to help. Half a dozen surgeries and way too many rituals later, she was my doppelganger - sort of. No burns or tattoos, so she was perfect for confronting you. She wouldn't have my powers, my marks, or my memories - she's the perfect person to be innocent me, while I use the GPS imbedded in her skull to rescue her as The'eb Sagheer. We will use her when there's a threat on Tala Merlyn's life, or if there's a chance I'm suspected as the blue vigilante. We knew you hadn't and probably wouldn't give up on finding me, especially with what we heard you say." Cisco tilted his head, confused. "I may have bugged the cortex, and your workshop, and the med bay. We knew you wanted to apologize. We needed to know how far you would go. When my dad gave you the suit, there was a needle in the collar. A drug was in it that unlocks the deeper darker bits and pieces of your subconscious. It takes things you want to do and lets you do them; it whispers to you that even the worst idea is a good one. It wears off after about a day, leaves a nasty hangover. The League uses it in a milder form for our initiation. Don't worry, I was watching the entire time, had you done anything to anyone other than Emma, me or my father, I would've stepped in."

"Why the test? Why was it necessary?" Cisco whispered, his brows furrowed.

"I wanted you to leave. To wake up in my arms and kick me out. I wanted to push you out of my life, having you hate me was easier than trying to avoid you. You can keep the house, Merlyn Global Group will continue paying for your bills and all, just, let me go. Please Francisco?" Tala looked at him and begged. She would leave, and go help Damian with Genesis, or go back to Nanda Parbat and be a horseman again.

"That name only sounds good when you say it. Stay with me. Come back to Star Labs, work with us. Help us help Barry, sign the freaking papers I need to market the new and improved pocket charger. Help me design the suit for the fire department. I want to use your nitrogen idea for the charger on the suit, it'll just be difficult to get the specs right. Also, we'd probably need-"

"Me to get the firefighter's individual measurements since the suit would have to fit them like a cat suit in order to monitor their vitals with better accuracy. You mention Star Labs and they'll throw a fit. Say it's from the new leadership of Merlyn Global Group - soon to become Merlyn Industries; they'll jump at the chance. Especially since my VP said we were apparently funding the rebuilding of the Glades, as well as Keystone City's new development. Good press is important." Cisco stood up and took Tala's hand, leading her out of the bedroom.

"Now, let's get some coffee in you, miss fearless assassin." Cisco joked, causing Tala to smile.

"Coffee is good. You've got creamer, right?" Tala asked as she reached for the coffee mug she saw on a shelf.

"Yep, but don't use that. I made you a thermos. It'll keep your coffee as hot as you brew it, all day long." Cisco tossed the blue thermos to her, which she caught left handedly, still looking around for the creamer. Cisco was surprised at her reflexes.

"Love, I've got assassin's reflexes and surprising control over my powers. Metahuman, that's a new one, even for me." They laughed and joked for a while, waiting on coffee, just trying to get used to each other. Neither noticed nor cared that Tala was still just wearing his shirt, and that Cisco was still walking around in his boxers. Until someone opened the front door and walked in. Tala grabbed the butter knife on the counter and pushed Cisco behind her. She pulled at her dark matter and Cisco saw two tendrils of opalescent blue air appear, one hovering in front of him, the other in front of her - defense and offense. Tala threw the knife as the intruder walked into the doorway. The knife stuck itself point first in the door jam and Caitlin Snow screamed, dropping to the floor.

"For Allah's sake Thalaj! I could've killed you! Knock next time, or announce your presence." Tala pouted as she walked over and jerked the knife out of the wood. "I'm just gonna get my coffee now."

"Cisco, you haven't been answering your phone! Doctor Wells said that you went after Tala so I came here to make sure you're okay. You are okay, right?" Caitlin stood up and moved over toward her friend and coworker.

"I'm fine, and in my boxers. I'm going to take a shower and get dressed, I'll let you two talk. Don't drink all my coffee." Cisco made a face and went up to his room, his cheeks a bit pink from not realizing his state of undress. Tala passed the bioscientist a mug of coffee before hopping up to sit on the counter.

"Sorry about the knife, I didn't know who you were." The assassin said sheepishly, giving her an apologetic smile.

"You missed, and I thought I was supposed to be the one apologizing here." She said as she sat down on a barstool.

"No, Thalaj, that is me that needs to apologize. You were right a month ago. I just got used to being around people who could handle themselves. I'm going to either have to train you guys or just tone it down. Maybe throw markers instead of knives." Caitlin laughed.

"What is that word you called me? Thalaj? I don't recognize it." She asked. Tala cocked her head as she heard Cisco turn on the water for his shower.

"It's Arabic. It means snow. Since it's your last name, I thought it was appropriate. And speaking of snow..." Tala held up three fingers, and counted down to one. Caitlin jumped as she heard Cisco scream from upstairs.

"Tala Merlyn! You give me my hot water back right now!" He yelped, his voice having jumped an octave. The two women giggled at his surprise and shock.

"I think his voice just cracked!" Caitlin giggled, smiling at Tala.

The trio settled around Barry's comatose form in the medical lab and started swapping stories about their lives. Caitlin had just finished telling them about when she went through a phase where she wanted to drive a motorcycle. Tala was squinting at her, trying to picture her in leather on a motorcycle.

"Nope, I can't picture it. It's too wild, too unorganized for you. Your fiat suits you perfectly. Cute and quaint." Caitlin went to protest when a voice startled them all from behind Tala.

"Tala, we need your help." Felicity Smoak's face was on all of their computer screens.

"What's up Blondie? Where's the fire?" Tala jumped up and moved in front of a screen so Felicity could see her.

"We have a hoard of crazy strong soldiers jacked up to Hell on a drug. Your partner and your ex girlfriend and your sister are here kicking ass, but we need help, because one of our number is down, they got roofied with Mirakuru. Your army buddies say that ARGUS is threatening a nuke on the city, so you need to suit up and get here before they shatter the bridges."

Tala turned and ran toward the exit, skipping the elevator in favor of the faster stairs. She shouted over her shoulder that she was on her way.

She raced on her motorcycle to the airport where she called in a favor. A plane was sitting there, ready to go, it's loading bay open. She pulled up the ramp on her bike and as it closed behind her the plane took off. She pulled her bag off her shoulder and pulled on her armor, turning on her comms. It connected her to Cisco and Caitlin at Star Labs, and Felicity down in their hide out.

"Alright boys and girls, fill me in." She said as she attached her weapons to her new outfit. There was a supposed cure, which she loaded into a few arrows.

"Slade Wilson was a friend of mine when I was dead." The Arrow's deep voice explained. "He was injected with a miracle drug the Japanese made in the Second World War. I thought I had killed him. Apparently I was wrong."

"So he took the chemicals in his blood and remade the drug. He wants revenge for that Shado girl you told me about. Wants you to suffer unimaginable pain. I'm sorry about your loss. I would've been there had I been in the country." There was silence from everyone on the comms. "I'll be there within thirty minutes. Where do you want me to drop in?"

"Drop?" Felicity asked, confused.

"I'm in the back of a plane with my bike. They'll pull low; I'll land on a road. Where?"

"We're heading to the clock tower. The Black Canary has made that her base we're all going to be there. Do you have the cure?"

"Already loaded in a few arrows. I hope this works." Tala tightened her fingerless gloves. "Is Nyssa there? Tell her the horseman rides again. She'll understand."

Tala kicked her bike to life and pulled her mask on. Her dark hair was braided tightly, her blue streak falling over her eyes. The pilot opened the loading bay doors, showing her the city about a mile beneath her.

"Miss Merlyn, you're going to want to go in four, three, two..." The pilot counted her down before she sped off the ramp.

She landed outside of the building with a soft thump. "Touchdown. But we have an issue; I count fifteen goons heading your way. Here comes an arrow with the cure. You're going to want to get him up and out, eighty seconds." Tala shot an arrow up and through the glass from across the street, shattering the clock face. She listened to the comms as they revived Roy. "Ten seconds till contact. You need to get out of there!"

She turned as a grappling arrow latched onto the ground near her rear tire. Sara came first, then Roy, followed by Dig, then Oliver carrying Felicity.

"I have missed you lot." Tala said fondly as Lyla Michaels blew up the building with the Mirakuru soldiers in it. "Here's the cure. Load up. Where are we heading?"

Tala stood surrounded by unconscious soldiers, with League assassin's interspersed around them, making sure her, Nyssa and Sara were safe. The fight was over, the threat was neutralized, and she was sore. And tired.

"I need a cup of coffee and a shower. I think there's blood in my hair." Nyssa laughed, leaning on Sara. It almost felt like the last two years of her being in the league.

"Sister, you always need coffee. I remember the time, we went to get breakfast together and when it was announced that there wasn't any coffee you attacked him, nearly killing him." Sara laughed and smiled fondly.

"That was the first meal you allowed me to join you at. It was the first time I felt forgiven."

"You were forgiven when I discovered you survived. I just, I needed the grudge. I needed to be angry at someone and Oliver was dead. But we all survived. Somehow. I guess fate likes us."

"Tala - you have a call waiting for you here, they say their name is Thomas." Oliver froze for a moment, thinking of Tommy, but shaking it off when Tala mouthed the word Lawyer to him.

"Patch it through, mute me off though." She turned around, facing away from her friends. "Yes?"

"Your younger sister and I are going to Corto Maltese. She has asked me to make her strong. May I tell her about you?" Malcolm asked, with a decidedly neutral tone of voice.

"Yes, just give them everything. I've got a few things to clean up here, I don't think I'll be there for the board meeting though. I think I'm going to stay where I have been. I found a family there. But I'll come when I'm needed, I promise. I'll keep managing things from my end." The call ended with a click, and Tala turned back to her friends, shaking her head. "Lawyers are assholes. And too abrupt."

"Difficulties running your own company?" Oliver snarked at her, laughing at her misfortune.

"You're not one to talk Greenie. Listen you lot, I love you all, but I'm making this my goodbye. I think I'm making my new start in Central City. Detective Lance; should you need anything, anything at all, you call this number, and I'll be there. Nyssa, Sara, tell Ra's I send my love. I'm available if he needs me." Tala kicked her motorcycle to life and climbed on it, leaving her mask and hood on. "Until the next calamity boys and girls. Stay well." She sped out of town, expertly avoiding the bodies littering the bridge.

Tala thought a lot as she drove back to Central City. She thought about Nanda Parbat, and she thought about Starling City. She thought about Central City and her new place there. When she neared her house, the sun was just starting to rise. Cisco had called her hours prior saying him and Caitlin had gone home, and she should meet him there, whenever she returned. She silently opened the front door after picking the lock. She mentally made a note to get her own key, since this was her new place. She started pulling off the suit, leaving her in a tank, tight shorts, and her mask. She pulled it off and stepped into the shower attached to Cisco's bedroom. She gasped when the hot water hit a few of the scratches she had acquired through the fighting. Her shoulder was still dislocated - Tala groaned when she realized she hadn't noticed that. Adrenaline was a dangerous thing. She'd have Cisco set it when he woke up. She quickly washed and conditioned her long hair before she stepped out of the shower. Tala pulled her powers around her like a towel and had it dry her off, leaving her hair twisted neatly on top of her head. She grabbed another of Cisco's shirts and pulled it on, letting her injured arm stay close to her chest. She twisted the matter to make a binding sling to protect her while she tried to get at least two hours of sleep in. Tala laid on her back next to Cisco and closed her eyes, instantly drifting off.

Cisco woke up to find Tala lying next to him, wearing his caffeine molecule shirt. Even in sleep she looked to be in pain, so he hesitated in waking her up. He went to the kitchen and quickly made her a mug of coffee; trying to remember how much creamer she put in the other day. When he returned to his bedroom, Tala had rolled over onto her side, her pained expression more severe than before. Cisco moved her back onto her back and her face relaxed.

"Tala, you're hurt, you need to wake up so I can help you. Tala!" He raised his voice, causing her to sit up and hold a dagger to his throat before she blinked and dropped the blade to the floor with a clatter. She pushed herself away from him and moved to leave the room, her eyes and cheeks burning in shame from nearly killing Cisco again.

"Don't even think about it. You had every right to do that, though I'm still confused as to where the knife came from. I startled you awake - Dante woke me up like that once and I decked him. I made you coffee. Now I know you're hurt, tell me where and I'll try to help, or I'll call Caitlin. Actually, I'll do that anyway." Cisco said, pulling his phone out and waiting for their resident physician to answer. "Caitlin, how quickly can you be at our house? She's hurt and I don't want to do more damage trying to fix her."

Tala couldn't hear what Caitlin, but judging from Cisco's frown it was probably something like 'Come to the lab so I can fix her here.'

"Fine." Cisco ended the call and turned back to Tala, "she wants us to go back to the lab so she can fix you properly there."

"Cisco,"

"I'll bring your coffee, you go get in the van."

"Cisco," Tala tried again.

"You need to get dressed though, Caitlin may not like seeing you in my shirts as much as I do." Cisco rambled, panic creeping slightly in his voice.

"Francisco!" Tala shouted, her voice booming around the room. "I cannot move my right arm. I have it immobilized with my powers. I cannot get dressed so I need you to gather me some clothes and drive me to Star Labs. We are going to pretend that I am completely helpless and that every single jolt or bump will make me bleed. Are we understood?" Cisco paled, and nodded before going back to his bedroom and grabbing a clean shirt of his and a pair of pants for her. He helped her climb into the passenger seat of the van, before driving her there. When they were five minutes away he called Caitlin and had her meet them up at the entrance. Caitlin was standing there with a wheelchair. Cisco parked and helped her get out of the car.

"Thalaj, I have a dislocated shoulder. Not a broken spine. Chisana Koneko here is just a tiny bit worried about me." Tala laughed, walking toward the building in Cisco's shirt. She hoped Cisco had the forethought to grab her underclothes because she knew she wasn't wearing anything under this shirt.

Caitlin had Tala sit up on her old coma bed and lay back. She wasn't wearing the shirt, so Cisco left the room a surprising shade of red. Her shoulder was an uncomfortable shade of purple.

"What hit you?" Caitlin exclaimed when she saw the bruise and damage. "It's dislocated, and your tendons are bruised. This is going to hurt more than usual when I reset this." Tala grimaced, and turned to face the door.

"Cisco! Get in here." Cisco came running at Tala's shout, turning red again before shutting his eyes and turning his back on the topless girl. The two women snorted. "I need your belt. I don't want to wake the still sleeping Mister Allen." She laughed again, groaning at the bruising on her ribs. Cisco removed his belt with slight tremors in his hands. Tala's mind raced to a completely different time and place where that action would be appropriate. When he turned around to hand it to her, she met his eyes and winked, Cisco made a small noise and practically teleported from the room. Caitlin looked at the injured assassin with a question on her face, only getting a shark like smile in response. Caitlin folded Cisco's belt in half and placed it in Tala's open mouth. She bit down as hard as she could on the belt and Caitlin pushed. Her shoulder popped into place with a crack. Tala let out a low, keening moan at the pressure, then screamed against the belt when it was relocated. She let her mouth fall open and pushed the belt out with her tongue.

"Ouch. Thank you, Caitlin. You know, one day, I'm going to name my daughter after you," Tala snickered and reached for the pants Cisco brought her to wear. She pulled on the shredded jeans and rolled her neck before pulling his shirt over her head. She raised an eyebrow at her reflection and tied a corner of the shirt up making it a cropped shirt before nodding decisively.

"Where'd Cisco go?" Tala asked Doctor Wells as she padded into the cortex. He turned his chair to face her. Tala felt a rush of energy coming from him, but she didn't know what it was, so she ignored it again.

"I believe he is hiding from, and I quote here, 'scary women who are trying to kill him without touching him.' That's what he said as he ran away. Probably his workshop." Doctor Wells pointed to a door.

"Thanks Doctor Wells." Tala walked away, ignoring how cold the floor was on her bare feet. She knocked on the doorframe before walking in.

"How's your arm?" Cisco asked, standing up from where he was working on a computer.

"Still purple. Less sore than it was an hour ago. Here's your belt back, sorry about the teeth marks. Bruised muscles makes pushing a shoulder back into place a lot more painful." Tala rolled it slowly, testing it out. "The fight was brutal. The cure was magical; it probably saved the entire city. My green counterpart is throwing the perp in a prison he will not be able to get out of. I ditched out before I got roped into clean up duty. But I have a question for you. Can you take me back by the house? Please?" Tala gave him a hopeful smile.

"Just take the van, the keys are over there." Cisco pointed to a bowl with two screwdrivers, a pair of pliers and the keys to the van.

"Can you just take me? Please Cisco?" Cisco looked at her.

"Why can't you drive yourself? Tell me that and I'll drive you." Tala made a face and looked down at her toes.

"I can't drive a car. I never learned how. I'm a billionaire, I've always had a driver, or I've been on my motorcycle, which I technically don't have a license for." Tala sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, looking up at Cisco through her eyelashes.

"You don't know how to drive a car?" Cisco choked, looking at her in surprise. Tala pushed out her bottom lip and pouted.

"My dad isn't exactly father of the year, and my nanny never saw the benefit in it."

"I'll teach you how to drive. Come on, let's go." Cisco shook his head and laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"By the way, normal people wear shoes, and underwear. All of which you forgot." Tala said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry that all you sleep in is my shirt. Actually, no, I'm not sorry about that."


	3. 103 Pilot

Tala groaned as she lifted Barry Allen up off the bed he'd been in for the past nine months. Caitlin wanted to move him into the cortex to give her more space for monitors and to work. Cisco pushed the bed into the room while Caitlin walked sideways, pulling the sheets off as she moved.

"You guys know how lucky you are that I can lift a fully grown man, right? Most girls my age can't do that."

"Girls your age? Tala you realize you're nearly thirty, right?" Caitlin asked, raising her eyebrow, causing Tala to make a noncommittal noise in response.

"Most girls also aren't internationally feared assassins." Cisco commented with an eye roll. "Also, where is Doctor Wells?"

"I'm not internationally feared. ARGUS still let's me in and out of the country. As long as I avoid Corto Maltese. And he went to go take another call from FEMA. We are trying to convince them that I can safely manage Star Labs without another explosion. It helps that I've sworn way too many oaths to never build or fund the building of another particle accelerator." Tala scoffed, thinking about her three-day stint in front of a judge from last week. Her father had made things difficult for her when he survived, and now that Thea was making noise as another Merlyn daughter, her lawyers needed both of their signatures to make any moves. "Also, remind me to call my father later, I need him to convince Thea to sign most of the company shares over to me so I can actually get shit done." Caitlin waved Tala over and helped her arrange Barry on the newly remade bed. The assassin rolled her shoulders back and sighed when one popped. Cisco tossed her a Red Vine, and snickered when she ducked to grab it in her mouth.

"Your reflexes are really incredible. Are they all from being trained as an assassin?" Caitlin asked as she reattached the EKG sensors onto Barry's chest.

"Nah, I cheated on that one. I grabbed it as he threw it. But most of them are from my training. My powers just give me an extra push for supersensory things and what not. Like, Cisco has been teaching me to drive; I can feel the cars around me like radar. It means I don't need my mirrors." Tala said, unwrapping a green blow pop she took from Cisco's jar. He sat down at the main workstation and turned on Lady Gaga.

"Cisco, if you're going to play loud music, can you at least play good loud music. I don't put this on my list of good music." Tala complained, perched on the desk in the medical lab. She was watching Caitlin and Cisco mess around with Barry, making sure moving him hadn't messed anything up.

"He likes this song!" Cisco said as he bit into a Red Vine.

"How can you know that?" Caitlin asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I checked his Facebook page." Cisco responded. "I mean he can hear everything right?"

Barry Allen jerked up in the bed with a gasp startling Cisco and Caitlin. Tala raised an eyebrow.

"Harrison! Barry's up, you may want to get in here." Tala said into the intercom, flicking her blue hair out of her face. Caitlin switched into doctor mode, checking that he was completely alright. "Relax kiddo, you're at Star Labs. You're fine." Tala said, grinning at the CSI's abrupt awakening.

"What's going on, who are you?" Barry asked.

"I'm Cisco Ramon, she's Caitlin, Doctor Snow." Cisco said, trying to prevent Barry from getting out of bed.

"I need you to urinate in this." Caitlin said, causing Tala to snort.

"Not right this second!" Cisco countered, pulling the cup from her grasp. Cisco and Caitlin started explaining what happened.

"You were struck by lightning dude." Cisco said, a smile on his face.

"Lightning gave me abs?" Was the only thing Barry could focus on. Harrison wheeled in, and took Barry on a tour to explain what happened.

Barry rushed out half a minute after Harrison mentioned Iris. Tala looked after him before biting on her lollipop.

"What, no Hi Tala, nice to see you again? Not like we don't know each other." Tala snarked at Cisco. Barry popped back in the room.

"Can I keep the sweatshirt?"

"Sure, keep the sweatshirt." Tala crossed her eyes at her friends. She moved into Cisco's personal lab, where she had commandeered a corner for her own usage. He wandered in a few minutes later, tossing a bouncy ball at her.

"When is the rebranding thing you're roping me into?" He asked as she bounced the ball off the wall and towards him.

"Soon I hope. I just need Thea's signature on a few things and I can be done with it. If she signs over enough of the company I won't have to get her approval for everything I do. The good news is I have the money I need to buy up Star Labs from Harrison. A friend of mine, his family promised me support if I gifted them five percent of my stock. Should make it easier."

"Do all billionaires know each other? It seems that way." Cisco asked, making her laugh.

"Lord no, the universe doesn't hate me that much. But we do tend to all run in the same circles, eventually some of us run the same circuits. Like the Queens. Both our families settled in Starling City. Since my dad and Robert Queen were close friends until the Gambit, Thea happened because dad had a momentary lapse of sanity with Moira, who is not an attractive woman. She always reminded me of a harpy. But she did welcomed me with open arms when I came back after the army."

Cisco yelped as his newest project zapped him. Tala snorted and rolled her lollipop around on her tongue, sticking it out at him when he glared at her.

"You are not allowed to do that motion anymore." Cisco declared, a pink tinge stealing its way onto his cheeks. Tala met his eyes and swirled her tongue around the lollipop, smothering her giggle as his cheeks burned a darker red. She lost her battle with laughter as he looked up to the ceiling, doing anything to break her eye contact.

"Alright, what are you working on? Let me see if I can help." Tala tossed the candy into the trash bin and moved to stand next to the blushing engineer.

"It's supposed to be a comms device, one for the military, but I can't get it to work." Cisco showed her the specs for it, and she looked at it, casually flicking her wrist around to have dark matter make a holographic model of it. She muttered to herself in Arabic as she compared hers to his.

"What's the issue with it? I can't see anything wrong with the mechanics. Except the fact that it would cover the entire ear, which would block noise from everywhere else, leaving room to be flanked."

"Well, I was hoping to create something that would filter out combat noises when someone is using it, so you can clearly hear the people you're talking to, but right now, none of my tests are actually getting the communications. It filters out the sounds when they're activated, but that's all they do."

"They're not receiving a signal, but they still know to silence everything," Tala hummed, looking at her hologram, thinking. "Oh! They're receiving a signal, Koneko, it's just not getting a strong one. Remember the old cellphones? They needed antenna to get the signal, because it wasn't strong enough. If we gave them one, one on each ear, it would work."

"I can do that! Also, what does that mean? Koneko, you've called me that before." Cisco asked, already moving to put an antenna on each earpiece. He pulled out pieces of copper wire from a drawer and started working, glancing at her, waiting for an answer.

"I can't tell you that. You have to figure it out. I'm not going to give away all of my secrets. That would be against like, every assassin code ever. But if you can figure it out, I'll make it worth your while." She smiled as Cisco turned pink again, even as he worked on the antenna. "Also, you're going to want to give that a cover of some sort. Else it will..." Tala trailed off as Cisco yelped, getting shocked by the wire. "Do that."

"I hate inventing sometimes. Who knew it would be so painful?" Cisco snarked, glaring at the wire.

"Tala Merlyn, could you please come up to the cortex, you have some explaining to do." Caitlin's voice echoed through the intercom system. "And Cisco, you'll want to come up here too. Now." Tala glanced at the date on the computer and lost some of the color in her cheeks.

"She's going to kill me. And so are you, and Harrison. Oh shit." Tala braced herself before pulling Cisco in front of her, the assassin hiding behind him as they entered the cortex where Caitlin and Harrison were holding official envelopes. Caitlin threw one at Cisco, who quickly ripped it open. There was a check in it. A large one.

"Tala, what is this for?" Cisco asked, blinking rapidly.

"Um, hospital bills?" She asked, trying to keep hiding from the look Caitlin was giving her.

"Tala. Explain." Caitlin growled, startling not only Tala but Cisco as well.

"Um, well. I was in a coma for five ish months, and you guys took care of me, and dealt with my crazy menagerie of friends, allies, and insane family members. And Star Labs doesn't really get income so I decided to pay you for your time and, I might have put you all on the Merlyn Industries payroll. Maybe. Please don't kill me." Tala moved and grabbed a chair, holding it between her and Caitlin, who had advanced on the assassin.

"Are you saying that you hired us all?" Harrison asked, wheeling himself around to face her.

"I felt bad that you guys were going to lose income because of the explosion - especially because it was an accident. So why should the three smartest people I know lose their jobs and homes? It doesn't change anything except that anything you guys create and decide to publish or market will go through my lawyers and my company will get three percent of any and all profits the products or papers make." Tala explained, warily watching Caitlin as she slowly calmed down.

"Three percent? Every other lab or group would demand at least fifteen percent." Harrison said, looking at her curiously.

"Well yeah, but I don't really need money. I mean, the League is paying for mine and Cisco's house. I'm technically royalty from there which means they doubled my trust fund size. When Tommy died, I gained his inheritance, which doubled it again, and even with Thea gaining one, and my dad still being alive, I have more money than I need. Add in the pocket chargers Cisco and I are selling, and the money I get from my service in the military, I could've retired at like, fifteen and have been set for six generations. So I collect three percent for the company, which goes into wages, upkeep and expansion, and you guys - and any Merlyn employee - gets the rest of the money. My father used to collect twenty percent, but I'm doing things differently. I refuse to continue my father's inane legacy when I can make a difference." Tala looked at her friends, hoping none of them hit her.

"I can't accept this money. You said it yourself that the League is paying for our house, and my bills, and you've been paying for the groceries, and don't think I didn't notice you've put most of your share of the profits into my bank account. I've got more money than I've ever had ever and I can't use it all."

"And I have enough saved to live off of. Tala, we don't need this." Caitlin protested, handing the check to Tala, forcing her hand to close over the piece of paper.

"Thalaj, Koneko, I'm not taking this money back. If you don't want it, forward it to a charity or something. And Caitlin, handing me this doesn't do anything - it's already in your account, this is the receipt. You guys have worked to keep me, and Barry alive, and you continue to work here. Since I'm buying Star Labs, you're going to be my employees anyway - which means you'll get a paycheck anyway."

"How much are you paying us? Is this backlog?" Harrison asked, his voice steadily neutral as he looked at the number on the check. It was a little over a million. Caitlin's was just under two million, and Cisco's was in the middle.

"This is for the past nine months. They all vary, Harrison, yours fits the midlevel for a research scientist at Merlyn Industries. Caitlin, you got placed as my personal physician, which is also listed on my insurance, so that's why yours is as big as it is. Cisco, you're an engineer, so welcome to midlevel engineering at Merlyn Industries. We're a big company, we make a lot of money every day, and I actually gave raises to most of the company so less of it ended up in my account. Shit, speaking of, I have a board meeting in thirty minutes. I'll be back later, call me if you need me." Tala turned and ran out of the cortex, and practically flew out of the parking lot on her motorcycle.

"Do you think she will realize that she left her helmet here?" Cisco asked, looking at the black and blue helmet sitting on the desk next to him.

"Her helmet, I'm more worried if she's going to realize she ran out of here in jeans and a leather jacket. I hope for her sake she has a change of clothes in her office." Caitlin commented, dropping the receipt in her purse with a glare.

Tala skid to a stop outside the Merlyn Global Group building in downtown Central City, and kicked her stand down, balancing her bike before dashing into the Lobby. Security stopped her before she could make the elevator.

"Miss, I don't think you're supposed to be in here." One of the guards said, looking at what she was wearing. Tala groaned when she realized the mess she must've looked.

"Relax, I'm Tala Merlyn, I'm just running late for a meeting." She pulled her wallet out of her pocket and flashed them her badge to get in.

"Of course Miss Merlyn, forgive me. We didn't recognize you." She waved them off with a smile and ducked into the elevator. She pushed the button she needed to get to her office and hoped she had a suit there.

"Of course I don't. Of course it's a dress. I really need to either relax the dress code around here, or just start wearing dress pants." Tala snorted as she pulled the dress on over her head and straightened it out. "I hate dresses."

Tala sat through the board meeting with a tablet on her lap, supposedly following along, but really working on a new idea for the friction proof suit her and Cisco were creating for the fire department. If they put an emblem on the chest, it could work for telemetry, warning whomever was at the computers that someone was injured. The question was what to make the emblem out of. A polycarbonate might work, but it needed to be close to the chest.

"Miss Merlyn?" A voice startled her from her musings.

"Yes Kyle? What can I do for you?" She asked her new personal secretary as he entered the conference room.

"There's a call for you in your office. It's from a Harrison Wells, and he said it was urgent. He said it involved a Mister Allen?" Tala stood and took the paper slip saying there was a call, before facing the board.

"Okay, I know we didn't get to everything on the docket today, but this is important, and I need to deal with it, Harrison never claims things are urgent unless it's life or death. We will pick this up again next week, is that alright with everyone?" Tala left the room and hurried down the elevator to her bike, speeding over to Harris Air, where the message said to meet them. She pulled up to a stop behind the Star Labs research van, dismounting her bike with a scowl as she realized she was still wearing the dress from her office.

"You're wearing a dress!" Cisco exclaimed when she came into view, causing Caitlin to turn and look, surprise on her face.

"Don't get used to it. I hate dresses. I forgot to change before I left. Now what's the emergency?" Tala stared as Barry Allen ran up to them, easily going a few hundred miles an hour. "Oh, that's new. Is this because of the particle accelerator? I can feel the vibrations around him - so I'm guessing so. Metahuman with super speed. Welcome to the club Barry!" Tala said. Cisco grabbed Barry's shoulder and guided him into the van to change into something else so they could run tests.

"Francisco, that outfit looks ridiculous." Tala said as Harrison and Caitlin worked to set up a speed camera and a computer to monitor Barry's vitals. "And he still _hasn't said hi to me yet!_ " Tala said, raising her voice and directing it toward the truck where Barry was changing.

"It's a little snug. And hello Tala, how are you? How have you been?" Barry said, rolling his eyes at her.

"Oh you know, took a four month nap, saved Starling City, again. Came back here, made another two billion dollars from things Cisco has invented and is marketing through my company. Speaking of, we're having a rebranding ceremony in a month or two. Cisco, you'll need a suit, Harrison, I would like you and Caitlin there as well. I'll be rebranding Merlyn Global Group as Merlyn Industries, and Star Labs will become one of my subsidiaries. Barry, you can come too if you'd like."

"Can we get on to the testing?" Cisco asked Tala, giving her an eye roll.

"Yes dear, but you have to help me plan it tonight. Emma and Kyle are coming over to iron out the last of the details. I'll cook."

" _Anyway_. Doctor Wells will be monitoring your energy output, and Caitlin your vitals. If we get around to it, Tala will help you with your reflexes, she has a special skill set."

"You mean she's the blue vigilante from Starling City, I know. What will you be doing?" Barry asked, grinning at the Merlyn heiress.

"I make the toys man!" Cisco said, grinning. "Like this, this is a two way communications device designed to filter out combat noises, or in your case potential sonic booms, which would be awesome!" Tala walked over to calibrate something for Harrison. She felt a rush of energy; similar to the one she always got around Doctor Wells. She frowned, wondering what it meant for Harrison.

"You were in a coma too?" Barry asked her, searching her face for any injuries.

"I was in the pipeline when it exploded. I tried to protect Caitlin's fiancé. We don't know exactly what happened to him. I came out different. You got speed and I got control over dark matter - blue dark matter." Tala pulled forward two tendrils of it to show him, making one ruffle his hair and the other tap his back. "The accelerator changed a lot of people, some of which we know about, others we don't. A lot has changed."

Tala walked back to the control center as Caitlin started calibrating the belt that would monitor his heart rate and the like.

"Harrison, anytime I'm near Barry, since he's been awake, I've felt this rush of energy. Do you think that's because the accelerator affected him like it did me, or is it because of his speed?" Tala didn't mention the fact that he gave her the same feeling, the same instinct that warned her about the impending explosion, suggesting she not mention it.

"I believe it is his speed. His cells are vibrating quicker than yours or young Cisco's. Your connection to dark matter is allowing you to feel the vibrations. I would bet, if I were a betting man, that with enough training, you could tap into that vibration and disrupt it. Perhaps we should look into that control, after we help mister Allen." Tala nodded and turned to watch Barry get ready to take off. She quickly pushed the blue matter around her, Harrison, and Caitlin. It formed a barrier between them and Barry. She was glad she did as when he took off a rush of air pushed Cisco onto his back, as Barry went running at a ridiculous speed.

"His vitals are all normal, though his temperature is running a bit high." Caitlin said, glancing over everything on the computer screens.

"His energy output could power the Merlyn building. Is his temperature from the exertion or is that his new normal? Because when he was out, he ran at ninety-eight. Now he's hit a hundred point three?" Tala asked, watching over Caitlin's shoulder.

"I think that's from the exertion. And," Caitlin stopped as Barry crashed into the water barrels at the end of the track. "And he needs to work on stopping."

"I'll go get him." Tala said, moving to meet Barry halfway down the track. He had a bad case of road rash on his right leg, and it looked like his wrist was fractured. She pushed some of her powers around it, creating a short-term splint to hold it in place until Caitlin could set it.

"Your vitals were all fine," Harrison said as they approached. "What happened?"

"I remembered something from my past, when my mother was killed." Tala placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, understanding about the death of a parent.

Tala gave Cisco a ride back to Star Labs while Caitlin drove Harrison and Barry back in the van. Tala was mentally planning to get out of her dress as soon as possible.

"I know you hate dresses, but you look amazing in this one." Cisco said in her ear when they stopped at a red light.

"I can't fight in them. Heels I can sometimes tolerate, especially when they make me taller than you, but dresses and skirts - so not my style. I'm wearing a suit to my rebranding ceremony." Tala growled. She revved the engine and sped off as the light changed, forcing Cisco to tighten his hold on her waist. They pulled up as Caitlin was looking at Barry's X-rays.

"Distal Radius fracture." She said as they walked in the Cortex. Barry was wearing a brace and Harrison was elsewhere in the building. Tala unzipped the dress and stepped out of it, not caring that everyone was staring at her, varying shades of red. She dug around in a drawer, pulling out a shirt of Cisco's and a pair of shorts. She pulled them on, leaving her boots on. "Right, Tala, stop that. Barry, it appears that you had a Distal Radius fracture." Caitlin continued as Harrison wheeled back into the room, pointedly ignoring that Tala was pulling a shirt on.

"Had?" Barry asked. Caitlin swiped her hand across the tablet she carried. It showed a new X-ray, one of a healed wrist.

"Apparently with your speed you also gained a faster healing ability. Your wrist is already healed. My question is, what caused you to stop?" Caitlin asked Barry, looking over his medical records. Tala walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder in support.

"I remembered something. When I was eleven, my mother was murdered. It was late, a sound woke me up, I came downstairs and I saw what looked like a ball of lightning. Inside the lightning was a man. He killed my mom. They arrested my dad. Everyone, the cops, the shrinks, says what I saw was impossible. But, what if the man who killed my mom was like me." Tala gave Barry a hug, having heard the story before. He left shortly after that, leaving Tala and her friends alone. She heaved a sigh and moved to a spare lab she'd converted into a gym. She hiked herself up the rope tied to the ceiling and flipped herself upside down, thinking while doing absent minded crunches.

"You know, that is really distracting." Cisco said as he walked in. He tossed a ball at her, watching as she caught it without opening her eyes. "Is that why you do it in this room?"

"Back in Starling City, my partner and I had a female version of you, who would stare at him every time he started working out. When the canary came back, she got so jealous of her she tried working out. The Arrow and I thought it was adorable. I do it here so I don't bother people." Tala dropped herself to the ground, flipping in the air. "Besides, it means I know when people are looking for me, because you have to need me before you come in here. Unless you're here to gawk?"

Cisco looked at her, standing there in a sports bra and cut off shorts. Tattoos covering her right shoulder and left thigh with different patterns, all running over the others. She had scars peppering her torso, looking like a war veteran as opposed to a mechanical engineer. He looked at the rings and bracelets she wore nearly every day.

"Not this time. I need your advice. Your rebranding ceremony is probably going to be televised right?" Tala nodded, padding over to a bottle of water. She lounged in a chair, propping her feet up on the table. "My family is probably going to see it. I want to go because I'm your friend and I want to support you, but if I'm suddenly at the right hand of the CEO of a billion dollar company, they're going to freak - Dante especially."

"You don't have to be there, if you think it'll cause issues with your family. I know how important they are to you, love."

"You're important to me too though. I don't want them to stand in the way of this, but I don't want this to cause issues with them." Cisco said, sitting next to her, resting his elbows on his knees.

"So come to the rebranding ceremony, wear the tux we will get you, and if they ask how you were so important as to be at my right hand, I'll personally tell them how you saved my life after the Star Labs explosion. And if Dante tries to make you feel unworthy of the honor of being my right hand, I'll break his nose." Tala said, smiling. Cisco talked often of his family, and how Dante was the clear favorite. As someone who was the clear favorite in her family - before Thea started claiming her paternity - she knew how it grated on the other sibling. She didn't like Dante, and probably never would.

"Don't punch my brother." Cisco scolded.

"I was thinking with a kick, but fine."

"How about you come over to dinner, I introduce you as a friend and we see how they accept that." Tala rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"Eat your mom's cooking? Hell yes."

"I wasn't the only one affected by the particle accelerator explosion, was I?" Barry thundered as he stormed back into the Cortex at Star Labs. Tala turned with mild surprise, swearing to herself that she had shown him her powers. Cisco and Caitlin looked at him, Cisco having nearly jumped out of his skin at his sudden appearance. Harrison turned to face the speedster.

"We don't know for sure." Harrison said.

"You said the city was safe, that there was no residual danger, but that's not true, so what really happened that night?"

"Well, the accelerator went active, we all felt like heroes, and then it all went wrong, a dimensional barrier ruptured unleashing unknown energies into our world, anti matter, dark energy, X elements," Harrison trailed off as Barry interrupted.

"Those are all theoretical!" Barry protested.

"How theoretical are you Barry?" Tala shouted, jumping into the fray. She moved around the desk her and Cisco were behind. She wasn't in her workout outfit or her dress, back in shredded jeans, Cisco's shirt and combat boots.

"We mapped the dispersion throughout and around Central City, though we have no idea what or who was exposed." Harrison started, turning to Tala.

"We've tasked Star Labs and Merlyn Industries' satellites with searching for other Metahumans." She picked up the explanation, looking at Barry, hoping he would understand.

"Metahumans?" Barry asked, looking to Caitlin for clarification.

"That's what we've been calling people like you and Tala." She said, gesturing to them both in turn.

"I met one of them today, he's a bank robber who can control the weather!" Barry yelled, shooting them all dirty looks like it was their fault.

"This just keeps getting cooler" Cisco cheered to himself, a little too loud.

"This is not cool!" Barry yelled at Cisco, causing Tala to step protectively in front of him, "Alright? A man died." Caitlin lost the little bit of color in her cheeks, and Cisco looked abashed. Tala moved closer to him, her back to the desk. "Mardon must have gotten his powers the same way I did, from the storm cloud. He's still out there! We have to stop him before he hurts someone else." Barry ranted. Tala rolled her shoulders.

"Barry! That's a job for the police." Harrison said, giving Tala a look that said this speech was only for Barry's benefit.

"I work for the police!" Barry stated, giving Harrison a hard look.

"As a forensic assistant." Harrison countered, returning the look he was being given.

"You're responsible for this. For him." Barry accused.

"What's important is you! Not me, I lost everything. I lost my company, I lost my reputation, I lost my freedom! And then you broke your arm, and it healed in three hours. Inside your body could be a map to a whole new world. Genetic therapies, vaccines, medicines. Treasures buried deep within your cells. And we cannot risk losing everything because you want to go out and play hero! You're not a hero, you're just a young man who was struck by lightning." Tala watched Barry's face fall, but she knew Harrison was right. She didn't have his ability to speed heal. She could control dark matter, maybe tap into matter's vibrations, but she wasn't as magical as Barry's DNA at the moment. They needed him alive, and acting as a pincushion.

Barry turned and left the building, running fast and far. Harrison left the cortex, heading to his office. Tala turned and started talking with Caitlin and Cisco, asking what tests they wanted to run, and if they were going to compare his and her waking DNA. She frowned when she heard Felicity through her comms device.

"Glasses?"

"Shh, listen!" Tala pressed the comms device, turning her volume up, hearing Oliver talk to Barry. She tapped a button on her necklace, silencing her microphone.

"Koneko, we may need those suits you've been working on. Barry went to Starling City for advice from a friend of mine. A friend in green. Metahuman superheroes anyone?" Cisco smiled and got a crazy look in his eyes, making Tala lean over and kiss him on the cheek. She unmuted herself after she heard Barry race off.

"Alaiqtisas, you better not be giving him any bad advice!"

"Tala? Jesus Christ you scared me." Tala chuckled at the start in his voice. "You heard all that?"

"Glasses hooked me through. Tell the gang I said hi, will ya? Love you brother." Tala tapped her necklace again, pulling out of their frequency. She turned back to Cisco and Caitlin. "The green vigilante in Starling City just gave Barry the really bad advice of being a hero. I'm going to help him - Barry better get used to carrying my ass everywhere until I can figure out how to make my bike as fast as he is. Cisco, we're going to need to connect my comms with the computers here."

Barry whooshed into the cortex with boxes of case files, one of which he tossed to Tala before setting the other one on a table.

"I've been going over unsolved case files from the past nine months, and there's been a sharp increase in unexplained deaths and missing people. Your Metahumans have been busy. I'm not blaming you, I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen. I know you all lost something." Tala nodded at that statement. She lost four months time, and was currently losing the respect her board members had for her, since she was trying to buy up Star Labs. "But I need your help to catch Mardon, and any out there like him. But I can't do it without you, even you Tala." Cisco and Tala exchanged growing smiles, Caitlin had a smile in her eyes, but her face stayed mostly neutral. She was hesitant in going against Harrison.

"If we're going to do this, I have something that might help." Cisco said, excitement shining in his eyes. He led the three of them to a spare lab, spinning around a mannequin wearing a red skintight suit. "Something I've been playing with. It's designed to replace the turnouts firefighters traditionally wear. I thought if Star Labs did something nice, it might pull our name out of the mud."

"How is it going to help me?" Barry asked, completely lost.

"Well, my partner wears green, I wear blue. Red is free." Tala said, leaning against the doorframe behind Barry.

"It's heat and wind resistant, so it'll be able to withstand you running. It's skintight so it's aerodynamic, allowing you better control. Plus it has built in sensors, so we can track your vitals, and you, should we need to mount a rescue." Cisco explained.

"Thanks. So how do we track Mardon?" Barry asked. Tala glanced over Caitlin's shoulder where she was busy communicating with the Satellites they had access to.

"I've retasked our satellites to track meteorological abnormalities over Central City. It just got a ping." Cisco and Barry moved to look at the tablet. Tala slunk back into the shadows, pulling on the magic of her armor to have it appear on her. She pulled up her hood and placed her mask on. The necklace that distorted her voice turned itself on for the first time in months. She double-checked her weapons as she returned to Cisco, Caitlin and Barry's sides.

"Barry, you'll have to carry me there, I've no way of keeping up with you. If I jump on your back, will you still be able to run? I can support myself." He nodded and quickly pulled on his new suit. "Cisco, setup comms. Caitlin, I've already sent an email to you that will allow you guys to track my vitals through my necklace."

They arrived to see a tornado. Barry dropped Tala near the police car and jumped to move a piece of roof out of the way of hitting Detectives West and Thawne. Tala quickly pushed her powers out, surrounding the detectives, protecting them from shrapnel and wind.

"I've got you boys. Don't worry." Tala shouted over the wind. Joe looked up at her, then back to Barry.

"If it keeps up, it could become an F-5 tornado." Cisco told them both. Tala groaned, her blue hair whipping in the wind.

"It's headed toward the city!" She shrieked, panicking slightly. Metahumans were outside her wheelhouse, and she knew she couldn't fight a tornado. She flicked her bow out with her right hand and pulled an arrow from the quiver on her left calf. She notched it and started looking for Mardon, hoping she could get him before the tornado got to the city. She spotted him in the tornado.

"How do I stop the tornado?" Barry asked Cisco and Caitlin.

"Run really fast in the opposite direction?" Tala questioned, watching the funnel move. "You could unfurl it, cut off the legs?"

"How the hell are you going to do that?" Caitlin asked.

"He'd have to clock seven hundred miles per hour." Cisco said. "Can he handle that?"

"His body might not be able to handle it!" Caitlin protested.

"He has to try. Babe, go for it, but be careful. Guys, start thinking of other ideas in case this goes bad." Tala shouted, her eyes on Barry. She leapt from behind the car and moved closer to the tornado, reaching with a tendril to try and knock Mardon from his lofty perch. She knew if she loosed an arrow in this, it could do more harm than good. Barry took off, running around the bottom of the tornado.

"Haha! The suit's holding up!" Tala heard Cisco say.

"But he's not." Caitlin worried.

"He can do it. I know he can." Tala interjected, watching her new partner run. She gasped as Mardon jerked and lightning flew and hit Barry, knocking him off course. He rolled to the ground, where Tala quickly met him and pulled him to his feet.

"It's too strong!" Barry told her, shouting over the wind. Tala started as she suddenly heard Harrison on the other end of their comms.

"You can do this Barry. You were right; I am responsible for all this. So many people have been hurt because of me, and when I looked at you, all I saw was another potential victim of my hubris. And yes, I created this madness, but you, Barry, you can stop it. You can do it, now run Barry! Run!" Harrison said and Barry took off running. Tala pushed dark matter out, giving him secure places to step, and blocked off some of the wind, allowing him to run faster. He was a red blur within yellow lightning. Mardon yelled out in pain as the tornado finally came undone. Both Metahumans dropped to the ground, but Mardon recovered faster. He stood up and pulled a gun out. Tala drew her bowstring back quickly, waiting with a held breath.

"Hey!" He shouted at Barry, causing the speedster to turn and look. "I didn't think there was anyone else like me." He raised his gun, pointing it toward Barry. Tala breathed out gently, feeling the tenseness of her bow, she felt the energies around her.

"I'm not like you, you're a murderer." Barry said, glaring at Mardon. Mardon aimed the gun at Barry and Tala let the arrow go, knowing it would hit, just as Detective West fired two shots into Mardon's chest from behind Barry. Clyde Mardon dropped to the ground.

"Barry!" Caitlin shouted over the comms. "Tala?"

"It's over, we're okay. Mardon's dead, but we're fine." Tala pulled her hood down, but left the mask on. She walked over to Mardon and took his pulse, nodding when she didn't find one. She pushed him over with her foot and jerked the arrow out of his back. Joe ran over to Barry and sank to his knees next to his adopted son. Barry panted slightly, smiling at Tala.

"Detective. It's good to see you again." She walked over to the two, dropping the bloody arrow back in her quiver and letting her bow fold back up. She straightened her blue bangs and leaned against Barry, patting him on the back.

"Tala?" Joe questioned, looking up at her. She nodded. "I think at this point you better call me Joe. I sat by your bedside just as surely as I was at his." Tala smiled at the detective.

"You should call dispatch. Barry and I will head back to the lab and change before coming back here. Bear, wanna give me a lift?" Tala laughed as Barry stood and scooped her up bridal style and carried her back to Star Labs, where they were greeted by hugs from Cisco.

"That was fun. I forgot how much I missed action." Tala said as she rolled her shoulders under her armor. Barry sped his way out of his suit while Tala walked down to her makeshift gym to put hers away in it's case. She smiled sadly as she took off her mask.

"What's wrong?" Cisco's voice asked from the door. Tala sat down on a chair, ignoring the fact that she was still wearing her thick armor.

"As much as the League is a part of who I am, I feel like it doesn't fit me anymore. The armor doesn't fit who I am anymore, who I want to be. This is the armor of the Blue Hood from Starling City. Can you," Tala sighed and looked at Cisco. "Will you make me a new suit? It has to be blue, or I'll kill you. But something different?" She looked pleadingly at Cisco, her eyes begging him to do it.

"I've been hoping you'd ask me that question." He said, moving into the room. "Besides, I know you hate this zipper here." Cisco pulled the silver zipper down in the back, letting Tala step out of the armor.

"Are you kidding me? Having you undress me is the best part." Tala said with a straight face, causing Cisco to blush again. She smiled at him as she pulled on his melting Rubik's cube shirt. It was still tied up the way she preferred to wear his shirts. She found her jeans and boots, pulling both on. Cisco tied one boot while she tied the other and they left the room, passing ideas back and forth about her future suit.

"It needs to be comfortable enough for long term wear, because if I need to be doing a stake out on someone, I'm going to want to be comfortable. I can't sit in one place for seven hours in my suit and get annoyed with it."

"I can work with that. I'll look at your League armor and make sure I get the weapons placed in the right places too, while still making it aerodynamic enough for Barry to get you places."

Barry and Tala went back to the farm half an hour after they returned to Star Labs. Tala made Cisco swear he would have coffee for her as they left, this time taking Tala's motorcycle. Tala followed Barry over to talk to Joe, who was leaning against his cruiser.

"What you can do, it was the lightning bolt?" He asked Barry.

"More or less." Barry said, deciding not to go into the specifics, not that they knew all the specifics.

"I'm sorry Barry." Joe said, worrying Tala that Barry was going to be shunned for being a Meta. She tensed slightly, ready to move if she needed to. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you. And I called you crazy for chasing the impossible." Tala relaxed, sending a smile to Barry. "But you really did see something that night your mother died." Tala walked away, cornering another Detective and asking him about what happened.

"Mardon got shot trying to shoot Detective West and his partner after a tornado nearly killed them all. A piece of shrapnel hit him in the back though, so Joe's shooting doesn't mean much. Mardon was heading for Iron Heights anyway." Tala thanked him and walked away, Barry waving for her to go home. She pulled on her leather jacket and sped back to the Lab. Cisco handed her a cup of coffee and led her into a lab room where he was working on an emblem for Barry's suit.

"Why is it shaped like a lightning bolt?" Caitlin asked.

Cisco responded with, "So it's not boring."

"Besides, he was struck by lightning. I think it's appropriate. You're not going to make my suit all matchy, are you?" Tala asked, making a face in her coffee mug. Cisco laughed and shook his head.

Cisco rolled his eyes when his mother called, but he answered the phone. Tala didn't even bother pretending she couldn't hear both sides of the conversation. His mother talked as fast as Barry could run though, making her Spanish difficult to keep up with, even with Tala's fluency.

"Yes mom, I will be at dinner tonight. And I will be bringing a guest, if it's alright with you? She's a friend of mine from work." Tala leaned back when she heard Cisco's mother's excited shriek. She raised her eyebrows at him, as he ended the call.

"She was that excited because you're bringing a girl? Allah help us if she figures out we live together." Cisco groaned and ran his hands through his hair. Tala smiled at him and put her hands on his shoulders. "If ever you are uncomfortable, we will leave. And I have a surprise for you if things go too pear shaped. Come on, let's go home, shower, nap and get ready for this dinner. I need coffee." Cisco smiled and led the way to her bike, which they had taken in to work that day.

Tala stood behind Cisco and nervously straightened her dress out again. In her effort to convince Cisco to wear something other than a graphic tee shirt, she had apparently managed to talk herself into wearing a dress. She huffed and tugged on the hem again, trying to feel more comfortable in it.

"You look amazing Tala, stop fidgeting." Cisco pulled her hand away from the hem and held it within his own. "Besides this is your own fault. Just relax and be yourself."

"Your family doesn't want an assassin at their table." Tala hissed, sinking into Spanish as they neared the house.

"No, but I want them to know you, the woman who throws red vines at me, and makes movie references to everything as much as I do. The woman who helped Team Flash when we needed it most." Tala took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.

"I've been to war - why is this harder?" She muttered to herself. Cisco led her through the front door, calling out to his mother.

"Mom, this is my best friend from work -"

"Caitlin Snow, it is so good to finally meet you. My son here mentions you all the time!" The woman cut in excitedly, throwing her arms around a nearly catatonic Tala, "You must be a wonderful woman to put up with my little boy here." Tala locked mildly panicked eyes with Cisco over his mother's shoulder.

"Mom, I've mentioned Caitlin twice. And I think I described her as pale with red hair." Cisco said, pulling her off Tala, who gracefully moved herself behind Cisco.

"But she is the only woman who works at Star Labs these days." His mother responded, scolding her son. Tala bit down on her tongue.

"That isn't entirely true. Star Labs was recently bought out by the Merlyn Global Group as a part of their rebranding into Merlyn Industries. It will become the new applied science division. My name is Tala, by the way." She said, holding her hand out to be shaken. Cisco's father took it in a firm grip, giving her a look of approval when hers was nearly as firm as his.

"It's good to meet you Tala. You seem well informed about the company, I haven't seen anything about a rebranding in the papers." Tala bit down, smiling to hide it. She was hoping to avoid saying her last name.

"Nor have I, and I often look for things concerning my little sister's company." Tala forced down a snarl as Dante walked into the living room. Tala gently placed her hand on Cisco's back in support.

"As close as Francisco and I are, I didn't think I qualified for the sister tag yet! And I'm flattered that you look for news about my company. But we haven't announced it yet; I'm still waiting on a signature from my little sister to make the rebranding official. We are looking at holding the ceremony in about a month." Tala said smoothly, a gentle smirk on her face.

"Your company? You work for the Merlyn Global Group?" Cisco's father asked, offering them seats in the living room. Tala placed Cisco in an armchair before perching on the arm of it.

"My dad is big on reading the business section of the papers. He likes knowing what's going on with all the big companies." Cisco explained.

"Then he must love reading about all the CEO drama over at Queen Consolidated. I'm very close with the Queen family, so I get calls about whoever is their competition. And yes, I suppose I do work for the Global Group. My name is Tala Merlyn, CEO of the new Merlyn Industries."

Cisco and Tala watched as the Ramon family looked at her in surprise. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Mom, is dinner ready? I'm starved." Cisco asked, trying to break them all out of their shock. His mom jumped out of her chair and hurried to the kitchen. Cisco's father followed her, leaving a shell shocked Dante sitting on the couch. Tala gave Cisco a sly look and winked at him, before standing and sauntering over to sit across from Dante.

"You must be the famous Dante. I have heard so much about you. Francisco here never stops talking about his family, it's always 'this one time' or 'did I ever tell you about this time.' I've always assumed he looks like his father, but you look more like your father, Francisco has his mother's eyes and her smile. Do you have any stories about him when he was little? Or pictures?" Dante blinked rapidly, only turning when his mom walked back into the living room.

"Dinner is on the table. Come, come!" Cisco stood quickly and led Tala into the dining room, pulling the chair next to his out for her to sit. He pushed her chair in before sitting himself down at her right hand. He served her a plateful of food and passed her a glass of wine before serving himself.

"Tala, am I right in thinking that you are the reason for my little sister's wearing of normal clothes and actually having manners at the table for once?" Dante asked, smirking behind his wine glass. Tala set her fork down and looked at him, her gentle smirk still in place on her lips. "Because we should brand you a miracle worker, getting him out of his cartoon shirts must've been hard enough, but pulling out your chair, pouring you wine, and serving you? You must be magical."

"Actually, I didn't have to do anything. Francisco is an amazing man, it's all already inside him, he just needed the right encouragement to bring it out." Tala winked at Cisco, noticing his grip on his knife. She placed her right hand on his thigh, squeezing it gently. He looked at her hand, her nails painted a dark purple, before looking up at her and smiling, relaxing.

"Awh, Meha, you finally got a girl interested in you! I'm so proud!" Dante cheered, sneering slightly. "The question is what did you do to get her interested? Is it blackmail?" Dante asked, slipping into Spanish, not expecting her to understand it.

"Francisco?" Tala asked him, looking him in the eyes, pretending to be asking for a translation. He had a sad look in his eyes. "Right then. That's all I needed. Francisco here told me about all of you. Mister Ramon, Mrs. Ramon, thank you for opening your home to me, it is lovely, and your food is just as wonderful as my Chisana Koneko has led me to believe. You, Dante, are a cold piece of fish. To think that sweet Francisco would ever blackmail someone, let alone to get a girl interested? Cisco is one of the best men I have ever known in my entire life! He brought me here as a courtesy to you so none of you died of shock when he appeared as my right hand during the rebranding ceremony. Cisco has been of an immense help, taking care of me while I was in a coma, and helping me with my company." Tala stood and was yelling at Dante in Spanish, trying to glare a hole in his head. "Next time you want to suggest rude and inappropriate things, make sure you do it in a language I'm not fluent in. I'll give you a hint - I speak English, Latin, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Arabic and Spanish. Let's go Cisco. I have better things to do than to listen to Dante insult your honor in front of me." Tala offered the still seated Cisco her hand, pulling him to his feet. She bumped her chair back under the table with her hip, before leading Cisco out of the house and into the van.

"Dante how could you?" His mother shrieked at her son as Cisco and Tala backed out of the driveway.

"What? You guys really think Franchesca can get the attention of the CEO of a fortune 500 company without something illicit going on?" Dante explained himself, taking another drink of his wine. The three of them continued their dinner in silence.

"Are you okay Francisco?" Tala asked as she opened his door to the van back at their house.

"I knew Dante was a jerk, but I didn't know how bad it was." Cisco sighed and unlocked the front door. "You sure you didn't drug him like you did me?"

Tala laughed, "No, though I did think of it." She pulled her heels off and dropped them on the stairs, reminding herself to bring them up when they went to bed. They sat on the couch and turned on the TV, grabbing the box of Red Vines already sitting on the coffee table.

"You said you had a surprise for me, if things went bad. I think things went bad." Cisco said, biting into his candy. Tala smiled as their doorbell rang.

"Triple cheese and bacon pizza with Garlic Bread crust?" The delivery boy asked as he held out the pizza. Cisco took it and passed the kid a ten as a tip. He brought the box back to the living room where Tala was opening a bottle of whiskey. She poured them both a glass as if it were water.

"Did I ever tell you about the first time I met my ex girlfriend?" Cisco shook his head and took a drink from his glass, picking up a slice of pizza. "Tommy took me out for my first night back in Starling City, before the Gambit went down. Sara was there. The boys tried to out drink me, but Sara was managing to keep up..."


	4. 104 Fastest Man Alive

"Alright, I can't help you in fires and in run and save missions - I'm only good for punching things, so go Barry!" Tala said, dropping herself onto Cisco's lap as Barry sped out of the Cortex in his suit. Cisco leaned to the side and looked at her, she pretended to pout and moved to another chair. He moved to his tablet and was tracking Barry on GPS. Tala started hacking into the CCFD radio on the computer.

"Barry," Cisco said into comms. "Barry!"

"What? Did I miss it?" Barry asked, skidding to a halt.

"Overshot Sarie. Six blocks back." Tala said, giggling as Cisco passed her another cup of coffee.

"My bad." Barry said, turning and running back toward the burning building.

"He needs to work on that. If this was a timed thing he would fail." Tala muttered to Cisco, jotting down a note on a legal pad.

"You there yet?" Cisco asked, looking at the GPS location.

"What are you doing?" Caitlin's voice asked from behind them. Tala and Cisco both shut off the monitors, turning and looking at her, smiles on their faces.

"Nothing." Cisco said, pulling a grape lollipop out of his mouth. Tala hid her face behind her coffee.

"Who are you talking to?" Caitlin asked.

"Each other." Tala responded, forcing herself to not look guilty. She may be an assassin, but even she was afraid of Mama Bear Caitlin.

"Are you talking to Barry?" She asked, stepping closer to Cisco, who was known for cracking first.

"Who?" Tala smothered a snort, looking down at her legal pad to prevent herself from laughing.

"Barry Allen, struck by lightning, was in a coma for nine months. Woke up being able to run faster than the speed of sound, ring any bells?"

"Nope, haven't heard from him." Cisco lied, hoping that she would go away.

"Cisco! There's fire everywhere!" Barry's voice came through the speakers of the computer. Tala facepalmed and groaned. "Cisco, are you still there?" Tala and Cisco turned guiltily to the speakers, then to Caitlin.

"Everybody's out, what else you two got for me?" Barry asked over comms. Tala blushed as Caitlin pushed her and her chair out of the way.

"Barry it's Caitlin." Tala could practically see Barry lose his smile.

"Heyy Caitlin! How's your day?" He asked, aiming for nonchalant.

"Get back to Star Labs, now." She demanded, turning her glare on Cisco who just flashed her a cute smile. Tala snorted before taking a mouthful of coffee. Caitlin glared at her too. Barry appeared about a minute later. "Have you all lost your minds? Who do you think you are?" She asked, waving her tablet around.

"Well, I'm the eyes and ears, he's the feet, and if we need it, Tala's the assassin!" Cisco explained, gesturing to them each in turn.

"This isn't funny, you could've gotten yourself killed. You can't be running around the city like some supersonic fireman." Caitlin lectured.

"Why not? This is exactly what we talked about, using our powers to do good. The fire department didn't get there until after I got everyone out, they would've been too late. I saved three lives that might have been lost had I not been there." Barry argued. Tala and Cisco took a step back. Tala knew why Caitlin was going on like this. She missed Ronnie, and was worried that she would lose Barry too.

"We talked about you helping us contain those people like you who were affected by the accelerator explosion! Metahumans, and aside from Clyde Mardon, we haven't found any."

"People in this city still need help, and I can help them," Barry said, looking at Caitlin intently.

"We can help them Thalaj. All of us. The four of us and Harrison. We can make a difference," Tala interjected, trying to calm the angry bioscientist.

"Will you please say something?" Caitlin demanded, looking at Harrison over Barry's shoulder. The two girls were the only ones who noticed he was there.

"I think, what Caitlin is trying to say, in her own spectacularly angry way, is that we are just beginning to understand what your body is capable of. Not to sound like a broken record Mister Allen, but I do caution restraint." Tala moved to perch on the desk, rolling her right shoulder to stretch it out as Harrison argued with Barry.

"Doctor Wells, I doubt restraint is how you got to be the man you are today."

"In a wheelchair and a pariah," Harrison countered, making Caitlin look down sadly. "Lack of restraint is what made me these things. Know your limits."

Harrison wheeled back to his office, leaving Caitlin to put in a final jab. "Don't expect me to patch you up every time you break something."

"Barry, did anything weird happen out there today? The sensors in the suit were kicking back some weird telemetry." Cisco asked, pulling him away from where Caitlin left him standing. "Like your vitals spiked for a few seconds."

"Never felt better!" Barry responded right as his phone started vibrating in Tala's pocket. She pulled it out and tossed it to him.

"My day job beckons." Barry complained, before speeding off.

"When do you think he'll realize he didn't take his clothes?" Harrison commented as Caitlin straightened her hair.

"I have another board meeting. I'll be back later. Cisco - make sure my suit has a pocket for my phone so I don't have to reach into your pants to find it when I'm wearing my suit. Ciao bellissimo." Tala threw her leather jacket on over her tank top and left, speeding off on her motorcycle. Two hours later she re entered Star Labs in a different outfit, and groaned as she reached the cortex.

"I hate board meetings. They are obnoxious and tedious. Good news is that my sister signed everything and I should be able to have the ceremony by October." Tala sank into a chair and beamed at Cisco who passed her a cup of coffee.

"What happened at this one?" Caitlin asked, giving her a gentle smile.

"Too many papers needed signing, and a new guy was fairly misogynistic. I nearly threw him out the window. Which would've been bad as we were on the twenty second floor." Suddenly every alarm in their building went off.

"Simon Stagg's speech is getting robbed!" Caitlin announced, looking at the computer screen.

"Good, he's a pretentious dick." Tala muttered, glaring at the screen.

"Tala!" Cisco scolded.

"Sorry. I'll suit up and get there. Maybe I'll find something." Tala pulled and her armor appeared. She pushed her mask on and fastened the strap on her fingerless gloves before speeding out. Tala pulled up the same time as the police did. She pushed her armor away and stretched as her business clothes appeared back on her. She tapped her comms device.

"Police are already here, so is Barry. I'll ask him what happened." She entered the building, and flashed a badge she'd taken from the cop at the door, letting her under the yellow tape.

"Barry, what happened?" Tala asked, looking at him.

"I fainted. Like, actually fainted. I don't know what happened. I ran the guard out of the way and went after the crew, and next thing I know Iris is shaking me awake." Tala looked at him in concern.

"Caitlin is going to kill you. Detective West, I'm dragging Barry here back to Doctor Snow to have him checked over. I'll have him home shortly, if not, he will call." Tala grabbed him arm in a firm grip and dragged him back to her motorcycle, and drove him back to Star Labs.

"You lied to us!" Caitlin started in on Barry once they got back, "How could you not tell us you were experiencing dizzy spells? I am your doctor! Who knows what could be going on in your body? Your cells are in a constant state of flux! You could be experiencing cardiopulmonary failure, or a transient ischemic attack!" Barry looked confused, and turned to Harrison for answers.

"Mini-stroke. Probably not though." Harrison translated before Caitlin went off again.

"You of all people should know that in science, we share. We do not keep secrets." She stalked off.

"Wow, I haven't seen anyone make her that angry since Ronnie," Cisco said, moving around to the front of Barry. Tala shifted on the bed he was sitting on, moving to sit cross-legged. Cisco passed Harrison his tablet and chased after Caitlin.

"Ronnie was Caitlin's fiancé? The one that died the night of the accelerator explosion?" Barry asked for clarification.

"Yes. He is missed." Harrison said, looking at Tala, whose eyes filled with guilt. "Now, let's figure out why this is happening to you." Tala hopped up and led the way to where Cisco had set up a treadmill he fixed. There were boxes of packing peanuts against the wall.

"A little padding, just in case." Cisco said, causing Tala to snort and throw up a wall of matter, primed to catch Barry should he faint again.

"Are you sure about this Cisco?" Barry asked, stepping up on the treadmill. He sounded nervous.

"Most home treadmills only go about twelve miles an hour. This one has been Cisco'ed. Don't worry, it can handle your speed." Barry started jogging, Tala standing off to the side, aimed to catch him when he dropped.

"Barry we think we know why you keep," Barry fainted, Tala shoved with her powers, making the explosion of peanuts slightly less painful for the speedster. "Passing... out." Harrison said. Tala looked through the glass. Caitlin looked torn between amusement and concern, Cisco looked amused and Harrison looked like the answer was obvious.

"Glucose?" Tala asked, looking at their faces. She received three nods. She rolled her eyes and walked over to pick up the unconscious Barry. Tala carried him over to the door where Cisco was waiting with it propped open. She laid him on the bed in the cortex and laughed. "Should I order three dozen doughnuts?" She laughed, thinking that she would eat half of them herself.

"I passed out again?" Barry asked as he came to.

"Total metabolic failure. Foam peanuts everywhere. That's not going to be fun to clean up," Tala chirped.

"It was brought on by acute hypoglycemia," Caitlin explained, helping Barry get to his feet.

"I'm not eating enough, so an IV bag and I'm good to go," Barry said. Cisco and Tala pointed to the IV stand, where forty empty saline bags were hanging.

"Try forty, guess you were thirsty," Harrison joked.

"We're going to need to fashion you a diet that better fits your metabolic changes," Caitlin said.

Cisco chipped in his two cents, "I've already done a few calculations. You need to consume an amount equal to eight hundred fifty tacos. Unless we're talking cheese and guac, which is like a whole other set of equations." Cisco was already mentally running the numbers in his head.

"For Mexican, I recommend Tito's, on Bruckner Avenue," Detective West pitched from the door to the cortex. "Best burrito in the city."

"Detective West, what brings you to Star Labs?" Harrison asked. Joe pointed at Barry.

"When I couldn't find you at your lab, I did a little research. I found reports of a red streak running around the city, stopping muggers, saving people from burning buildings."

"You didn't tell him we were working together?" Harrison asked, looking at Barry.

"That's why he didn't understand earlier when I said I was taking you back to Doctor Snow." Tala accused, looking between Barry and Joe.

"Joe, I can explain."

"You already have a job in law enforcement!" Joe started, giving Barry a hard look. "I suggest you get back to it." Caitlin hummed her agreement, causing Joe to look at her.

"Don't look at me, I'm on your side," She said, explaining herself.

"Detective, we all want what is best for Barry," Harrison started.

"If you wanted what was best for Barry, you'd try and talk him out of this lunacy instead of encouraging him going out there and risking his life!" Joe growled, surprising Tala.

"You saw a man control the weather!" Barry jumped in, defending the honor of Team Flash. "What are the police going to do against something like that? Since the accelerator explosion, we suspect there may be more like him out there."

"And you're going to do what, catch them?" Joe asked, crossing his arms and standing his ground. "Are you insane? You think because you run real fast that you're invincible? You're not. You're just a kid, my kid." Tala looked down at the ground, instantly knowing where this was going to go.

"I'm not your kid, Joe," Barry said. Tala nodded to herself, exactly as expected. "And you're not my father." Tala saw the hurt in Joe's eyes. She had pulled the same card against the people who watched her when she was growing up. It dug deep and cut hard. "My father is sitting in Iron Heights, wrongfully convicted. You were wrong about him, and you're wrong about this. Now I may not be able to help him, but if I can save someone from a burning building, or stop some armed thieves, I'm going to do it. And you can't stop me, so don't try."

Joe looked around, hurt in his eyes, "You think you're so smart, all of you. But you don't know what you don't know. And I hope that you're clever enough to figure it out before somebody gets killed." Joe turned and left, leaving most of them feeling like scolded children. Tala sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. Even Caitlin felt the sting of Joe's words.

"Listen to me, all of you." Tala said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Joe has valid concerns. We are taking risks, some of them are unnecessary, others are. If we can get rid of some of the risks, we'll work better, and we'll do better work, alright? Harrison, Caitlin, we need to get facial recognition on the people we go up against so we know how to beat them, whether they're meta or non. Have every satellite we have working on scanning faces in and around Central City. I don't want to go all _1989_ on the place, but it will help. Cisco, we'll use my suit as the test dummy for now until we find what works. We want to make it as impenetrable as possible, shielding Barry from bullets, arrows, knives, hell even icicles. One disapproving father figure wasn't enough to keep me from doing what I love; I know it won't be enough to stop us. Alright?" Cisco smiled at her, gaining some of his energy back. "Good. Now go home, there's nothing we can do tonight. Barry, go eat three pizzas. Cisco, can you drive? I'm beat."

Tala and Cisco said their goodbyes and left, silence surrounding them. Tala was thinking about her father, Cisco worrying about Barry and her.

"What did you mean when you said you knew about disapproving father figures?" He asked tentatively.

Tala sighed, "My brother Tommy was soft. He didn't kill bugs, he didn't get in fights. He was a softy, and I adored him for it. My father did not. After my mother died, dad saw softness like Tommy as weakness. He cut Tommy off, practically disowned him. I was my father's golden child. I did the military, I am Ra's Al Ghul's favorite horseman, having ascended to the position within a year, something not even my father managed. He didn't disapprove of anything I did, even being the vigilante that helped stop him, he was proud of me. Our fight was a game to him. He was proud of me for being a killer." Tala started as Cisco took her hand within his. She gave him a sad smile as she leaned against the Star Labs van they were going to drive home. "The sad thing is, I used to revel in his pride. I was a daddy's girl up until he nearly broke my neck. Even then, I only turned against him because Ra's swore a blood oath against his actions in the Glades. But he's still my dad. Much as I hate him, I don't. We still talk, we still keep in touch. I set him up with money and let him tap into my resources when he needs Intel. And I feel horrible for it. I felt bad when he disapproved of me staying here. I almost left because he wanted me to go back to Starling and keep being the blue hood."

"Family is hard. You saw mine at their worst. Malcolm is a scary man, but I never met him. I was dealing with Damian Darhk." Tala blanched and looked at Cisco, grabbing him and checking him over for injuries, not realizing he was talking about something that happened months ago.

"Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you? Francisco, answer me!" Her voice was thick with panic, her eyes wide.

"Tala, I'm fine. He didn't touch me beyond shaking my hand. And this was when you were still unconscious." Tala took a deep breath and relaxed, taking his hand.

"Damian, for all that he has taught me, for everything he has done for me; he is not a good man."

"Let's go home Tala. You're tired, I'm tired. Let's go to bed."

Cisco drove him and Tala back to their house. Tala reached over and turned on the lights to the main floor, causing Cisco to jump out of his skin at seeing the green vigilante sitting on their couch.

"Cisco, go upstairs. Now," Tala demanded, her voice leaving no room for argument. He walked upstairs, not even hesitating. "Ollie?"

"Sara is dead." Cisco came downstairs at a run when he heard Tala let out a pain filled scream. He caught her as she collapsed onto her knees. The green vigilante hadn't moved. His hooded head still in his hands. "She was shot with arrows. Her sister found her. We don't know who it was." Tala sobbed in Cisco's arms, shaking with hysteria. The green vigilante moved to kneel before the crying metahuman and the mechanical engineer. He removed his hood and mask and grabbed Tala's face, forcing her to look at him.

Tala stared incomprehensibly at Oliver, tears blurring her vision. She felt Cisco's arms around her, and Oliver's hands on her face, but she felt empty. She couldn't form words or thoughts. Oliver turned to face Cisco.

"You hold her. You take care of her. She... we lost someone we love dearly. You do everything in your power to fill that void." He stood and replaced his hood and mask.

"Ollie." Tala said in a small voice, looking at the floor. "Tell Laurel," her voice hardened and she looked at him, "Tell her that I'm going to kill whomever did this. There is no place on this earth that they can hide from me or my wrath. They will fall by my blade, suffer at my hand." Cisco helped her to her feet and led her to the stairs.

"Tala, this will not go overlooked. I will call when I can. Can he be trusted?" Oliver looked at Cisco questioningly.

"Look, you worry about your city and I'll worry about Tala. She is a priority to me, else I wouldn't be here. I've taken care of her for months now, I'll keep doing that." Cisco stated, giving Oliver a hard look. He nodded once and left. Tala sagged against Cisco.

"Thank you." She whispered to him.

"You never need to thank me. I am always here for you." He helped her up to his bedroom where they both fell asleep within minutes.

"Caitlin, I'm going to Stagg Industries. Much as I hate Simon Stagg, I think he is in danger and I'm probably going to end up saving his life."

"Tala, are you sure?" Cisco asked, looking at her. She was very guarded at the moment and he didn't want Sara's death to cause her to get hurt.

"I'm fine Koneko. I just need something to do." Tala said and pulled hard on her armor, rolling her shoulders as it settled around her. She placed her mask on and looked at Cisco with too many emotions in her eyes for him to decipher. "Comms on."

Tala perched in the rafters, eavesdropping on Joe and Eddie interviewing Simon. The man was a pretentious bastard she had the misfortune of doing business with on occasion. Joe was asking about Danton Black.

"Tala, someone unauthorized just came up the elevator. Be careful." Cisco warned as he hacked into the security camera feed. Tala saw three masked men turn the corner.

"Then here we are!" She dropped from the ceiling and pulled up a sheet of dark matter, stopping the bullets.

"Detectives, get Simon out of here! Now! Go, go, go!" She shouted as she stalked toward the gunmen. "Love, get Barry here yesterday! I need backup!" Tala pulled out her bow and shot down one of the men. Behind her, Eddie moved Simon Stagg to safety; she watched as Danton Black pulled off his mask and created another clone of himself.

"A clone? For real?" She asked herself, sass bleeding through her voice. Tala pulled another arrow out and lined up the shot, firing - but Danton moved. "Cisco, where is Barry? Captain Clone over here is going to try his best to kill me."

"He's not answering his phone! And Captain Clone? So not cool." Cisco said through her comms system.

"This is why I said all y'all need to wear your comms all the time!" Tala fired another arrow, felling another clone before shouting in frustration when another just appeared. Before she could draw again, Barry appeared, disarming all three Danton Blacks and dropping the guns behind her at Joe's feet.

"Go," Barry told him.

"No," Joe responded, before Barry sped him outside. He came to a halt next to her.

"Whoever you are, just give yourself up," He tried.

"No, we're not going anywhere until Simon Stagg is dead," They responded in unison. Barry knocked the two flanking Dantons down, but the prime only created two more. Tala moved to throw a punch, but the Danton she hit only created two more, leaving them with five against two odds. Her and Barry worked around each other choppily, throwing punches and trying not to get in each other's way. Three more Dantons appeared, separating Tala and the Flash. Five of them attacked Barry, beating him to the ground. Tala tossed a flash bang and grappled herself to the ceiling and from there the roof after she saw Barry run.

"I miss back when things made sense. Also someone remind me to teach Barry how to really fight. I'm coming back, Danton got away." Tala leapt from the roof, taking a second to enjoy the freefall before landing on her feet, rolling to bleed off the excess momentum. She kicked her bike to life and raced back to Star Labs, where Caitlin was already tending to Barry.

"The abrasions are already rapidly healing. Tala, are you alright?" Caitlin asked, glancing over at her.

"I'm fine." Tala pushed her armor away, leaving her in a shirt and jeans from that morning. The short sleeves showed a few already purpling bruises, which Tala quickly pulled a jacket on to hide.

"That doesn't look like fine!" Cisco yelled, catching her arm before she could put it through the sleeve all the way.

"I'm fine, I promise." She looked him in the eyes and he slowly nodded, letting go of her hand.

"I got my ass handed to me." Barry said, gently pressing a fingertip to a fading bruise on his temple.

"You got blood on my suit," Cisco sassed, moving back to continue either getting a sample or being too meticulous - Tala couldn't tell.

"I think some of it belongs to him," Barry retorted, shaking his head. "Another not so friendly metahuman."

"His name is Danton Black," Tala informed them as she sat on the desk in the middle of the room. Harrison pulled up his employee records, hacked from Stagg Industries.

"He's a bio-geneticist, specialized in therapeutic cloning. Growing new organs to replace failing ones," Harrison read off.

"I'm guessing - and this is just a deduction from knowing the man - Simon stole his research and then fired him?" Tala asked, looking at Caitlin who nodded. Tala rolled her eyes. "Told you, he's a pretentious dick. Barry and I saw Black create duplicates from his own body, within a few seconds too."

"Pretty ironic the guy specialized in cloning, and now he can make Xeroxes of himself," Cisco said.

"Not ironic if he was doing self experimentation at the time of the explosion," Tala said, hopping off the desk and moving toward Harrison.

"The chemicals in his system, combined with the dark matter wave would've given him that power," Harrison picked up her train of thought, nodding along.

"Then boom, Captain Clone. God, that's still lame Tala, I'll come up with something better." Cisco and Tala stuck their tongues out at each other as Barry started leaving.

"Where are you going?" Caitlin asked.

"Joe was right. I'm fast, but I'm no warrior. I'm in way over my head. I could barely fight one metahuman, let alone six."

"Barry, I understand," Harrison said, Tala frowned when the vibrational energy she felt around him picked up, but she shook it off. "Today was a setback, many grand enterprises have them. And we can never learn to fly without crashing a few times." Tala leaned against Cisco, looking at Barry.

"This wasn't a grand enterprise Doctor Wells. This was a mistake." Barry left, leaving them all staring after him.

"He'll come around, from what I know about him from Iris and Joe, he always helps those in need." Tala said, sounding sure of herself.

"Miss Merlyn, would you accompany myself to CCPD, I am going to pay our mutual friend Simon Stagg a visit," Harrison asked her suddenly. Tala looked up and nodded.

"Sure. Cisco, I'll meet you at home, yeah?" Cisco shook his head.

"I'll stay here a while yet. Just meet me here when you're done." She shrugged and followed Harrison out of the building. It was a quiet ride to the police department. They took the elevator up, hearing Simon before the doors opened.

"I've increased my security detective. I hope Black comes looking for trouble, because that's what he's going to find," Simon boasted. Harrison and Tala both started clapping at him.

"Spoken like a true philanthropist. Or is it humanitarian - I can never remember which one you're pretending to be," Harrison said wheeling himself into the room. Tala laughed, sending Stagg a dirty look.

"Harrison! Don't get up," Simon said, his face neutrally pleasant, his eyes cold. "Tala. Lovely to see you again, even if you dress less like a CEO and more like a punk on the streets." She sent him a toothy smile as he left.

"Another fan of yours Doctor?" Joe asked, gesturing to Simon. Tala scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Can we talk detective?" Harrison asked Joe. They received a reluctant nod in return.

"So you were right. Barry's not the only one who's special. This guy tried to kill Simon, he-"

"Cloned himself and beat the shit out of me and your kid?" Tala suggested, looking over at Joe.

"Replicates spontaneously," Harrison corrected, "yeah, we know."

"Did you know about Barry?" Joe asked, turning to face the two of them. "When he was first in his coma, you came to the hospital, and you asked me if you could take him to Star Labs. Did you know what he could do?"

"I had my suspicions that he was special. Miss Merlyn here was affected by the same explosion and was similarly in a coma. I had hoped that by comparing the two of them I, we at Star Labs could discern what had happened that night." Harrison paused, glancing up at Tala, who had casually fallen into a relaxed attention flanking him. "I was never looking to become a senior member of a secret crime fighting unit. You and I both know we are the only ones equipped to protect this city."

"Maybe I'm more interested in protecting Barry," Joe said, his face blank. "But of course, he's set to fly into the fire right along with you."

"No, he's not." Tala stepped forward, looking at Joe with blank eyes that unnerved him slightly. "Not anymore, he quit, didn't he tell you that?"

"I haven't seen him." Joe said, emotion finally coming to his face.

"I'm sure it's only temporary, you know Barry, when he sets his mind to something, no one is going to talk him out of it. But the next time he suits up, and runs headlong into danger, he will fail." Tala said, stepping back behind Harrison, falling back into the position of sentry.

"Why? He doesn't think he's capable. Doubt, is his real enemy, Joe. Not whatever's lurking out there. And as long as you continue to doubt him, he'll keep doubting himself." Harrison turned himself around, Tala stepping smoothly out of his way. "And for the record, I care about him too." Harrison led them both out of the building.

Tala and Harrison returned to Star Labs right as Cisco called her.

"Please tell me you're close by?" He asked, panic raising the pitch of his voice.

"In the parking lot. Why, Cisco, what's wrong?" Tala pulled on her armor without a thought and was racing toward the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Get in here, now."

Tala got to the Cortex the same time Barry did. She drew her bow and grabbed Cisco's arm, shoving him behind her.

"Guys, it's okay!" Caitlin said, trying to calm down the two Metahumans.

"It is not okay!" They shouted in unison. "Black is standing right here!" Barry finished.

"Not doing anything, what?" Tala questioned, flicking her bow to shrink it down. "That's not him, is it?" Tala put her arrow back in her quiver and pushed her armor away.

"It's one of his replicates," Harrison said as he wheeled himself into the room.

"What is it doing here?!" Tala shrieked. "How did it get here?"

"I grew it!" Caitlin exclaimed. Tala sent her an incredulous look. "I isolated a sample of his DNA from the blood Cisco got off Barry's suit, to see if I could trigger the in vitro cultivation process."

"So you're telling me I leave you two alone for barely an hour, and y'all make a baby? That's not right." Tala said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Cisco let out a choked laugh and Harrison covered his face with his hand. Barry gave her a look that said she needed help, before waving a hand in front of Black's face.

"Why isn't he, it, doing anything?" Barry asked.

"Just because Caitlin and Cisco are geniuses doesn't mean their baby is going to be one."

"Tala!" Cisco whined causing her to smile at him. "We did a brain scan, involuntary motor functions are active, not much else."

"You think he's acting as a receiver. The clones are an empty shell without Black." Tala said, looking from the scans on the computer to Cisco and Caitlin. "If we shut down the prime, we drop them all."

"But how do we know which is the real Danton Black?" Barry asked.

"That occurred to me given your own passing out. He has to exert an enormous amount of energy, just as you do. Look for the one showing signs of fatigue, he's the prime." Caitlin explained.

"It'll help when he goes after Simon again. We will know which one to look for," Tala chipped in, trying to plan a scenario where she'd be higher up so he couldn't get to her. Her arm still smarted where she took a hit.

"Plus, I whipped up these high calorie protein bars for you to keep your metabolism up. Hopefully will keep you from passing out again." Cisco said to Barry.

Tala was moving as soon as Black twitched. She grabbed the letter opener from the table next to her and stabbed him in the throat, right as Joe West shot him in the chest. Tala pulled her bloody hand away from the clone and wiped it on her jeans. She nodded to the detective in thanks.

"Any more of them?" He asked. Tala shook her head as at least two other people verbally confirmed what she meant.

"Why did it start moving?" Barry demanded of Harrison. Tala pulled, and turned to face Barry as her armor materialized around her.

"They're receivers. Someone turned on the TV. The Prime. My guess is Stagg Industries. Black really has it in for Simon. For good reason too," Tala said, placing her mask on.

"You should call it in," Barry said to Joe, stopping Tala in her tracks. She couldn't work if the police were there. Not without first making sure Emma was prepped and in the city.

"Barry, the police can't fight this anymore than they could Mardon!" Joe stated. "What Black's become, like Mardon, beyond me, and maybe beyond them too. The only person it's not beyond is you. You gotta do this, I get it. So for once in your life do what I tell you to do. Go stop him." Joe looked at Tala and nodded, letting her know that order was for her too. Barry smiled and walked over, looking at his suit.

"On your back again? Or are you going to carry me?" Tala asked, her distorted voice sounding ghostly. Barry changed and she climbed onto his back, holding on as they sped toward Stagg Industries. When she hit the ground, she tapped on her comms device, letting everyone know they were there. Barry grabbed Stagg and sped him into his office, demanding he stay put. Tala slipped from shadow to shadow as she tried to find a good vantage point. Whenever a clone got too close, she killed it and moved along.

"I know Stagg stole your research, but that doesn't give you the right to murder!" Barry shouted to all the Dantons in the building. He narrowly avoided a bullet as Tala took out three more clones. She was searching for the prime.

"You think this is about my job? This is about Elizabeth! She was my wife, she had a degenerative coronary disease," Danton said, his clones picking up the next phrase like twins would do on occasion.

"Cisco, check that information. Make sure he's not bluffing," Tala whispered, snapping the neck of another clone.

"She'd been on the transplant list for years, but time was running out. So if I couldn't get her a new heart."

"You were going to grow her one," Barry said, pulling attention to himself.

"Tala, it checks out. He's telling the truth." Caitlin said from Star Labs.

"I was so close, until Stagg stole my research to reap the glory! And I got to bury my best friend." Black sounded so bitter, so hurt, it reminded her of Sara. She was dead now. Tala could see her smile, hear her voice. If she closed her eyes, she could see Sara sparring with others in the League. Tala felt tears roll down her cheeks as her knees buckled beneath her. She sank down the wall, gasping for breath as the realization of never seeing Sara again weighed on her.

"Tala, Tala are you okay?" Cisco yelled through her comms piece, but it sounded far away to her.

"Barry you need to isolate the prime, now! Tala's down, her telemetry is off the scales," Caitlin said to Barry, looking over Cisco's shoulder at Tala's vitals.

"Tala you need to listen to me. I don't know what it's like to lose someone the way you've lost Sara. Someone who is a partner in more than one way. I know you love her, and I know you. When you love you love with your whole heart. I know this hurts but you heard your brother. He will find who did this. You swore vengeance on who killed her. You will get that person, and there is something I need to tell you. Dig and Lyla called you just after you went out. They've been waiting to tell you this."

Tala slowly pushed herself off the floor, listening to Cisco. "What did they tell you?"

"Tala, you're a godmother now. To a little baby girl they've named Sara. Little Sara Diggle was born last week, and they want you to be Godmother. But part of your godmother duties include kicking Danton Black's ass to protect her!" Tala smiled under her league cowl and drew an arrow, aiming it at the remaining Danton Black, who just stood and charged at Barry. She loosed the arrow and it hit him in the shoulder, shoving him out the window. Barry caught him, and Tala raced over to where he was, just in time to watch Danton force himself out of Barry's grip and fall to the ground. Barry pulled Tala into a hug, letting her fall against him as he held her.

"Can we go? I can't be here." Tala asked, pressing her face to Barry's shoulder. He nodded and picked her up, already moving toward Star Labs. She pushed her armor away and accepted the cup of coffee from Cisco. She sat down in front of him, and he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I tried to save him." Barry said, looking down.

"He didn't want to be saved." Tala said quietly, looking at her shoes. "Some people, when they break, you can't fix them. For the first month after the League took me in, Ra's had to have someone watch me full time, for fear Tala would do something to The'eb Sagheer. After Sara joined the League, The'eb Sagheer was nearly unstoppable."

"Some people heal even stronger," Barry said, looking at Tala, sending her a smile.

"Well, at least Multiplex won't be able to hurt anyone else," Cisco said, holding a grape lollipop. "Told you I'd come up with a cool name." Tala stuck her tongue out at him, a soft smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

"You know, I may be the one out there doing all the running, but when I'm out there helping people, making a difference, you are all out there with me," Barry said. "I finally figured something out, we were all struck by that lightning." Barry left, smiling at them all.

"I'm going to Starling. I need... I need to see Sara and my partners. Cisco, do you want to come?" He shook his head.

"This is something you need to do on your own. I'll stay here and help Barry," He said, giving her a tight hug.

"I'll be back in a day or two. Keep Barry safe."

Tala took the train to Starling City, arriving late that night. She pulled the hood of her jacket up over her face; happy with the anonymity it gave her. She walked out of the train station and to the graveyard, appearing just as Oliver and John lowered her into her grave. Tala stumbled over her feet and fell to her knees next to Laurel and Felicity.

"She's home now, she can rest," Oliver said. Tala watched as Felicity took a handful of dirt and threw it on the grave. Tala didn't move until Roy scooped her up into his arms. He held her while she cried into his shoulder.

"Tala," Laurel said, reaching over and taking her hand. Oliver also dropped a handful of dirt on the grave before moving to take Tala from Roy so he could do the same. Tala, still with tears streaming down her cheeks motioned for Oliver to put her down. She stood shakily and grabbed a handful of the grave dirt.

"A Jewish tradition? It feels appropriate. I hope no one minds if I say a prayer for her? In the League, we all follow Islam to some extent, and I actually converted fully within my first year." Tala looked at the grave, and after tossing the dirt down on Sara's grave, raised her hands and slowly started speaking. "O God, forgive our living and our dead, those who are present among us and those who are absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O God, whoever You keep alive, keep him alive in Islam, and whoever You cause to die, cause him to die with faith. O God, do not deprive us of the reward and do not cause us to go astray after this. O God, forgive him and have mercy on him, keep him safe and sound and forgive him, honor his rest and ease his entrance; wash him with water and snow and hail, and cleanse him of sin as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. O God, give him a home better than his home and a family better than his family. O God, admit him to Paradise and protect him from the torment of the grave and the torment of Hell-fire; make his grave spacious and fill it with light." John came over and took her hand.

"We are her legacy, and we will always know who she is. Tala knows this, but Lyla and I talked, and we're naming our baby girl Sara."

"Thank you," Laurel whispered.

Tala walked through Team Arrow's base, following behind John. Oliver was sitting there, looking at the ground.

"I'm going to catch whoever killed her." He said.

"We know you are." Tala said, moving toward him. She leaned against him and hugged him tightly. She was out of tears. There was no more sadness, only anger and an emptiness she couldn't fill.

"And until you do, I'm back on the team," John said, looking at Oliver.

"What about your family?" Oliver asked.

"Sara is family Oliver, just like you man. So now what?" Johnny asked, placing a hand on Tala's shoulder.

"Now I gotta go get Thea. It's long past time she came home." Johnny and Tala started walking toward the exit, "John." Oliver's voice stopped them both.

"I don't want to die down here," He said. Tala heard the pain in his voice, the subtle fear.

"Then don't Oliver." Tala and John both said.

Tala went home with John and greeted Lyla with a hug. Lyla handed her baby Sara. "This is your God Daughter, Sara Diggle."

"Hi Sara. I'm Tala, and I will always take care of you. I have something for you, you wanna see it?" Tala asked, rocking Sara in her arms. Tala pushed with her powers, making a blue tendril dig through her duffle bag. It pulled out a stuffed red wolf and dropped it in Lyla's hands. "Tala means red wolf, so I thought it was appropriate. It has a GPS tracker in the paw that will signal me if you ever need me."

Tala smiled down at the little baby in her arms and hummed to her. John took a picture of Tala holding Sara. Later that night, she would fall asleep looking at that picture, remembering her relationship with Sara.

Johnny and Lyla brought Tala to the train station the next morning, sending her home to Central City, even though she tried to stay longer. She spent the ride home staring at the assorted pictures she had taken of Sara. Cisco met her there, pulling her off the train when he realized she was lost in her thoughts.

"She's beautiful." Tala said to Cisco, looking at the picture. "Sara Lance was going to be my maid of honor if I ever got married. Lyla, Laurel and Thea were going to be my bridesmaids, Caitlin too, now that I know her. Ollie always said he would give me away. There's a billionaire out there, Ray, that I've met a few times here and there. He's nice. He said he would marry me off. I knew his fiancée, and she was a total sweetheart."

"Who were you going to marry?" Cisco asked, wondering if it was an actual plan.

"A friend of mine, from middle school. Son of an old money family with traditional values. They adored me and wanted a merger. It was going to be a cover marriage. I'd stay with Sara; he'd keep his boyfriend. We agreed in middle school that we would marry each other to keep the money together. He said once he inherited everything we could divorce, or keep together since we were close friends." Tala sighed and gently took Cisco's hand as they drove back to their house. "Now, I don't know. I don't think there are many people out there that would marry a multi billionaire metahuman assassin CEO." Tala scoffed, looking out the window.

"I'd marry you. You're not just those things. You are kind and sweet and you care about everyone. You're smart, you thought of the idea to put nitrogen in the chargers, and the suit for Barry. You worry about us at Star Labs, you hired us, and without warning I might add so we could have income. You aren't two-dimensional Tala. Don't try and make yourself that simple."

Tala smiled softly at Cisco, adoration shining through her eyes. Everything would be okay as long as she had him. "Thank you, Francisco. For being with me."


	5. 105 The Things You Can't Outrun

Tala looked over at Cisco and gave him her best puppy dog eyes, pleading with him until he caved and sat back down, allowing her to decide on the movie.

"Yes! Okay we have to watch the best movie of all time," She said, shuffling through a box of movies.

" _The Godfather_?" Cisco asked, holding it up.

"We watched that two nights ago. I'm talking about _The Shining_!" She pulled the DVD out of the box with a triumphant grin.

"Nope, hell nope. I cannot get past the freaky twins. Next choice?" Cisco asked, turning a pleading smile on her.

"Fine. _Pulp Fiction_?" Tala asked, tossing the DVD case over to him, which he caught and put in the DVD player. She grabbed the tray of their snacks and set it on the coffee table in front of them before checking the tablet monitoring satellite feed for metahuman attacks. She grabbed a handful of junior mints before snuggling into Cisco's side and pulling a blanket over her bare legs. They got thirty minutes through the movie before Cisco paused it and turned to her excitedly.

"Your armor is already mostly bulletproof right?" Tala blinked at his rapid change of thought process.

"Kinda sorta, why?"

"What if I essentially shred your armor and use it like a mummy's bandages to create your new suit?" He asked, moving to stand.

"I suppose that would work. Especially if it overlapped in more sensitive places like my thigh and shoulder."

"Can we go to Star Labs so I can start on it?" Cisco asked, his eyes shining with excitement.

"I'm bringing the snack tray," Tala stood and grabbed the tray and blanket before following Cisco to the van. Her burns twinged in the crisp air, causing her to shiver.

"Yes I grabbed your jacket, and your boots. Don't worry," Cisco said, seeing her glance back at the house.

"It's your fault, making me leave the house in my pajamas," She said, hauling herself into the passenger seat of the van, before accepting her shoes and jacket from Cisco. She carefully pulled them on, still balancing the tray on her lap.

"Uh, no, it's your fault for putting your pajamas on at five in the evening," They continued their blame game until they reached the lab, where Cisco led the way to his workspace. Tala got her armor out and let Cisco go crazy with it, while she hacked into CCPD's radio system.

"I'm thinking about going back to school. Maybe pick up a new major. Computer or electronic engineering, maybe? What do you think?" She called out, looking over at Cisco who had started chopping up her armor.

"Why? Just want to learn something new?" Cisco asked, not looking up from her armor.

"We have a mechanical engineer here. You. Caitlin is a doctor, Barry is a forensic analyst, and I feel like everything I can offer is already taken." Tala's tablet beeped, signaling something coming into dispatch. They moved up to the Cortex, and Tala called Barry.

"Babe! Code 237 on Waid Boulevard," She said, repeating what Cisco mouthed to her.

"Public indecency?" Barry's voice filled the room as she put him on speaker. Tala made a face at Cisco.

"Wait, I think I meant a 239," Cisco said, looking apologetically at Tala.

"Dog leash violation?" Barry asked. Caitlin entered the room, waving at Tala.

"Bad man with a gun, in a getaway car, go!" She said, rolling her eyes at Cisco. "You okay Tala? You look a little pale." Tala pulled the blanket up over her lap more.

"It's cold outside. My burns get a little sensitive when it's cold," She explained. "Winter always sucks. My old partner would actually have to go out alone sometimes because I couldn't handle the cold."

"Really? I love winter. My dad used to always take me ice skating before he got sick. It was always the best time of the year for me," Caitlin said, setting herself down in a chair.

"My favorite winter memory was before I became an assassin. Sara and I were together; we had just started dating too. Ollie, Laurel, Sara and I went on a double date to this outdoor skating rink that City Hall had set up. It had a hot chocolate bar where you could make your own out of several different types of milks and cocoas and toppings," Tala said, looking past Cisco, thinking back to that night. "Ollie decided he was going to make each of us a cup, so he went over to the bar and made Laurel one with whole milk and dark chocolate, with M&Ms. Sara's had whole milk, white chocolate and whipped cream. Except Ollie didn't know what to get me, so he just threw dark and milk chocolate together in a mug with boiling hot whole milk and whipped cream and sprinkles and cinnamon. When I tried to drink it, I couldn't because there was so much whipped cream. I had whipped cream in my eyebrows and on my nose and it was a disaster."

"One Christmas, Dante and I actually got along," Cisco chipped in. "We just sat next to each other and drank whiskey in front of the fireplace. We drank the whole bottle that night. We felt like brothers for once." Tala smiled at Cisco from across the Cortex, then sneezed.

"Can we go home? I'm freezing."

"I was surprised you two came back," Caitlin said, flicking through Tala's medical records.

"Cisco had an idea and a cute smile," Tala grumbled, standing and moving to leave.

"Come on, let's get you in a hot shower before you catch a cold," Cisco guided her out of the cortex, draping an arm around her waist and shouting a goodbye to Caitlin over their shoulders. Tala sneezed again.

Tala got dressed the next morning and pulled on a thick sweatshirt over her already warm flannel shirt. Cisco shot her a concerned look as he passed her her morning coffee.

"I'm fine. I just really do not like the cold. Do we have any of those hash brown patties left?" Tala started rummaging through the freezer pulling out a pack of them. She tossed three on a plate and shoved them in the microwave. She ate them as Cisco drove the two of them to Star Labs, where Caitlin and Harrison greeted them. They all went to work on different things, Cisco and Tala working on her new suit, Caitlin was checking over hers and Barry's medical records, trying to puzzle out similarities and differences.

"Tala, can you come down to where we have the treadmill? I want to test something." Tala rolled her eyes before standing and walking to where Caitlin had summoned her.

"What's up, Doc?" She asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"I'm wondering why you never got the fatigue Barry or Multiplex did when they used their powers. Even Mardon, from what you two said, showed signs of his powers physically affecting him. Can you use your powers for a few minutes with some sensors attached to you?" Tala nodded and pulled her sweater off so Caitlin could get under her button up shirt. Caitlin slid it down her shoulders, revealing her burn scars on her right shoulder. Tala rolled it out of habit when Caitlin touched it.

"Does it hurt? I've noticed you use your left hand for everything, have you always been left handed?"

"No, after the explosion of the Queen's Gambit, I couldn't use this shoulder because the burns cut my mobility. I learned to fight left handed, and even though I've got most of my mobility back, I have some psychosomatic issues with using it, so it's easier for me to just stay left handed."

Caitlin attached the sensors and nodded for Tala to start using her powers. She thought of different things she could do and tried them. Using her powers didn't affect her vitals that much, lifting things that were heavier than her bike made her strain like she was lifting something half its weight. After an hour, the two parted, Tala buttoning up her shirt as she walked back to where she left Cisco.

Barry and Joe walked into the Cortex, bringing coffee for Tala who hummed her thanks.

"We believe we have a metahuman who is killing people with some kind of gas," Joe stated. Tala sat up and grinned.

"Fascinating! A metahuman who can manipulate poison gas," Harrison said, wheeling himself in front of the computers.

"Is it just poison gas, or can he control all aerated substances?" Cisco asked, looking at Barry and Joe.

"And how is he able to formulate the connection? Is it psychological or physiological?" Caitlin asked, passing Tala a tablet to start a new file. Tala started typing all their hypothesizes as well as what happened that brought their attention to this specific metahuman. She had previously done the same for Mardon and Black, attaching their criminal records, medical records, and any and all information she could find on them, as well as how they were brought down.

"This individual can create a mental nexus using gaseous substances," Harrison said, pulling up any files they had on poison gasses. Caitlin was reading over his shoulder while Cisco was looking over Tala's.

"Connect with them on a molecular level?" Tala asked, glancing at Harrison.

"That is ridiculously cool," Her and Cisco both said, grinning at each other. She added that to the file.

"They get a little excited about this stuff," Barry commented to Joe, causing Tala to stick her tongue out at him without looking up from her report.

"The only thing I'm excited about is putting criminals behind bars. Except Iron Heights isn't exactly equipped to handle Metahumans," Joe said, raising a concern.

Harrison countered by saying, "then I guess it's fortunate the other's we've encountered are no longer with us."

"Well, unless we're planning on executing every super-criminal we stop," Joe said, making Tala look up and smile, "you geniuses are going to have to come up with someplace to hold them." Tala pouted at him, coming to the realization that she didn't really contribute much to the team. She frowned before quickly wiping the look off her face.

"A metahuman prison, sweet," Cisco said, smiling. Tala grinned weakly at him before going back to working on the tablet. She tilted her head before ducking under Cisco's arm and pulling up the specs on the Pipeline. She nudged him and gestured to it, her eyebrow raised in a question. He nodded at her.

"There is one place here that might hold them," She voiced, looking at the blueprints for the particle accelerator.

"You can't be serious," Caitlin said, turning to look at them both, "We haven't been down there since - it's cordoned off!" She protested, making Tala feel bad for mentioning it. Tala bit her lip and sent her an apologetic look.

"Tala is right. It could be modified to act as a makeshift prison," Harrison said.

"What could?" Barry asked, looking at Tala and Cisco.

"The particle accelerator." Cisco said. He and Tala stood and started moving toward the Pipeline.

"Caitlin. Caitlin!" Harrison barked, trying to gain Caitlin's attention. "Did you hear me? We're going down to the accelerator ring." Tala stopped and hovered in the shadows near the doorway, watching Caitlin.

"Actually, I could use Caitlin's help identifying the poison gas," Barry spoke up, making Tala smile. Caitlin wasn't ready to go back down there, not after she lost Ronnie, which Tala felt responsible for. She turned and walked down to the pipeline, her tablet in hand and a frown on her face. She couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't useful to the team. Cisco was an engineering genius, Harrison was a genius, and Barry was the only Meta that they knew about that was good, that could make a difference. Tala just couldn't get there fast enough. Caitlin was a doctor and amazingly smart about anything bio related. Even Joe was useful; knowing everything there was to know about the law and how to be an effective crime fighting team. Tala punched the wall in frustration, grinding her teeth when she felt two of her fingers break. She quickly set them with her powers, biting her tongue till it bled to prevent herself from screaming in pain. Even that was something that Barry was better at. He healed in minutes; she had the metabolism of a normal person. Tala shook her head and pulled up the specs for the accelerator ring as she neared where Cisco was waiting.

"So, looking at these specs, we could be able to use the cavities formed by the copper as the individual prison cells. It'll prevent the Metas from killing each other, and still allow us to use the majority of the pipeline should we need it for anything, like training. Barry still needs to learn how to throw a proper punch," Tala said, moving things around on her tablet. She glanced up and nodded at Harrison as he approached.

"Of course, we'll have to design them to counteract the specific metahuman abilities."

"Like dampening a speedsters speed, removing my ability to manipulate dark matter, et cetra et cetra." Tala said, nodding, trying not to look at anything but her tablet. She, like Caitlin, hadn't been down there since she was found after the explosion. However while Caitlin lost Ronnie, Tala tried to save him, and still lost him. She survived, and he hadn't. Survivor's guilt ate at her every time she looked at Caitlin, or caught Caitlin looking at her engagement ring.

"We have to decouple the injection system on the gantry level, I'll be right back." Harrison backed his way out of the accelerator and left Tala with Cisco at the site of her biggest failure.

"I can do that," Tala tried, turning to catch him.

"I need the exercise," Harrison said, smiling at them both. Tala sat down heavily and looked at the spot she hadn't seen for nine months. She stared blankly at it.

"I tried to protect him. I covered him completely, pushed him against the wall. And I lost him. It's my fault he's gone. I shouldn't have let him come in here, I'm an assassin, and it was my risk to take, not his," Tala whispered, her voice breaking.

"It's not your fault Tala, you couldn't have foreseen the explosion," Cisco said, turning to face her. He flinched when she suddenly jumped to her feet.

"I should have! I should've known something was going to go wrong. The thunderstorm, the warnings, I should've never let a civilian be in danger like that! Ronnie should've stayed out there with you instead of coming in with me. I had him completely covered, he should've survived. It should've been me!" Tala screamed, punching the wall again, not even flinching as her already broken fingers crunched against the polycarbonate steel. There were no tears in her eyes, only rage. Cisco gently took her broken hand, trying to calm her down. She pulled away from him and stalked out of the pipeline. She stormed past Harrison and out of the building. She kept walking; heading in the direction of her house, not caring that her hand was broken and bleeding.

"Cisco, we're ready to go," Harrison said to him. "Where'd Tala go?" Cisco shook his head, clearing it from the confusion of Tala, and declining to answer Doctor Wells. "It must be hard, coming back down here. A lot happened that night. If you feel the need to talk-"

"I was just thinking, we need to nail those voltage calculations. One fault and the helium blowback could damage the mountings," Cisco said as he walked away, barely hearing Doctor Wells call him smart. He wondered why Tala had blown up as she had. It wasn't her fault, it wasn't anybody's fault, it was just bad luck. He wandered up to the cortex and sank into Tala's chair, her blanket still tossed over the back of it. He nodded and decided that if she didn't call him in an hour, he would trace the GPS signal on her necklace to make sure she was okay.

"Caitlin?" Cisco said as he answered his phone.

"Barry ran off to the mall, there was another gas attack," Cisco dropped the call and started hacking the mall's security feed. He spoke into the team's comms system, knowing that Tala would hear it.

"I've patched into the mall's security system. According to witnesses, the gas attack was in the elevator in the north wing," Cisco said, trying to find live video of the attack.

"Which one is the North Wing?" Barry asked. In an abandoned warehouse, Tala rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to answer before Harrison beat her to it.

"The one with the big belly burger," Tala's eyebrows raised as she turned her project ninety degrees and started in on it again. "What? I eat." Tala snorted silently.

"Why did you kill that woman?" Barry yelled at the Meta Tala assumed he was facing off against.

"She deserved to die," was the answer they all heard over comms. Tala tilted her head. That was an answer she would have given, not one she expected. Unless an assassin was made a Metahuman with the ability to manipulate gases. She quickly attached the piece of copper wire to a sensor, but jerked her hand back with a muted hiss when it shocked her. "Now go run away. I still have one more name on my list. Don't make me add you to it."

Tala blinked, and actually questioned if the man was an assassin, or a hit man. She shook her head at her own stupidity. The Darbinyan Crime family, of course. Their Meta was a hit man, probably one betrayed by them. She listened as Barry started fighting the hit man, then started gasping for breath.

"Barry? Barry can you hear me?" Harrison yelled into his microphone back at Star Labs.

"His vitals are weak, but he's still alive, I'm sure he's fine Doctor Wells," Cisco said. She turned off her comms when she heard Barry whoosh into the cortex. She removed the necklace from around her neck, using her powers to keep her shattered vertebrae in place. Tala bit down on a folded belt to muffle the scream of pain.

She felt behind her for the metal screw that connected the wires to the choker she always wore and pulled, screaming from behind the belt as she felt tiny bits of titanium alloy wire pull at her spine. She pushed mentally at her control over her powers, using tiny tendrils to force the hooks off her spine and out of her body. Tala gasped when she felt the last bit of metal come out. She rolled her neck around, enjoying the feel of not having metal and leather support her continued existence. Then tapped the tablet with her broken left hand as she pulled the belt out of her mouth with her right. Her MRI and X-rays appeared on the screen in front of her. With a wave of her hand, she created a blue 3D hologram of her spine.

"Thanks Caitlin. If you hadn't run those tests this morning, I wouldn't have thought of this. Right, test 1A, synthesized Graphene." Tala tapped the record button on the tablet. "I have created a synthetic Graphene metal, that is smaller and yet stronger than the titanium alloy previously wrapped around my shattered C2 through C4 vertebrae. I'm stabilizing myself by using my control over dark matter solidified to hold the bones together. Another tendril of the matter will be making an incision along my spine while two more will wrap Graphene around the entire cervical section of my spine."

Tala bit down on her tongue and handed a sterilized scalpel to a tendril that moved to cut through her skin and muscle, down to the tendrils she could feel around her spine. She passed the Graphene sheet and wires to separate tendrils. With her eyes closed and her teeth clenched she wrapped the sheet around the destroyed bones. She let out a low moan of pain when the tendril pressed against a raw nerve.

Cisco checked the tablet he had monitoring Tala's vitals, which seemed to not be anything. He didn't panic, but checked on her GPS location. She hadn't moved, and her choker hadn't sent off a panic alert saying she was hurt. He saw that she wasn't at the house, so he looked closer at the location. It was an abandoned warehouse three miles away from the lab. Cisco grabbed the tablet and followed the GPS signal to where it said Tala was.

"The Graphene has been successfully wrapped around the broken bones. Wires of the same material have been wrapped around at five-degree differences to ensure full mobility and security. Everything appears to be tethered securely. I will now begin stitching the incision together. Rather than using glue, which might rip, or sutures that will need to be removed, I have devised a stem cell solution from cells, lets say borrowed, from Caitlin's file on Danton Black. Thankfully our blood types match. When introduced to a specific protein gel, which I have also procured, it should heal the incision. If not, I'll resort to normal sutures and hoping Cisco doesn't notice until they're healed."

Two tendrils, each holding a different eyedropper dropped the liquids they carried directly on the wound. Tala hissed as it burned, but smiled when it healed.

"It worked! Ha! Take that dad." She sat up gently from where she was laying on a table, and pressed her fingertips gingerly to the back of her neck. She rolled her neck, moaning in happiness when she had complete mobility and no new pain.

"Other than an immense amount of pain, from an anesthetic free surgery, there is no pain or negative side affects that I can discern, though I will keep an eye out."

Cisco watched Tala as she rolled her neck around. He couldn't hear what she was saying, or see who she was talking to, there wasn't any light in the warehouse, except two tablets Tala had on either side of her, and the few tendrils of her blue magic that emitted a soft light. He blinked when a tendril flicked a switch and turned on the lights around her. Cisco saw blood on Tala's neck, and no choker. He quickly looked around and saw the necklace she used to stay alive on the table next to her.

Tala turned the lights on with a flick of her wrist, and turned to grab the choker she was really glad to no longer need. She flicked her left wrist, ignoring the pain of her broken hand, and grabbed the blue steel knife that came out of her wrist holster.

"I should consider using Graphene to make knives and arrowheads. It could prove to last longer and potentially keep a sharp edge sharper."

Cisco moved as close as he dared, trying to listen to what Tala was saying.

"I don't know what I have to offer to Barry and the team, but I know I could be useful in places like Keystone or Coast City, where crime runs rampant. Oliver, John, Roy and Felicity have Starling fairly well protected between the four of them, and if they get back from Corto Maltese with Thea, they could have a fifth. I'm not needed here." Tala drove the point of her blue dagger through the sensor on her choker. Cisco's tablet suddenly went crazy, showing that Tala's vitals had vanished. Tala turned and threw three daggers in quick succession. One shattered the tablet, stopping the noise, and the other two pinned Cisco to the wall behind him by his shirt. Her cold eyes softened when she met Cisco's startled ones.

"I knew I forgot to do something. Disable the GPS," Tala swore, moving to pack up her things.

"Where are you going?" Cisco asked, reaching up to pull the daggers out of his shirt and the wall.

"Dunno, you heard my two first options. Though I suppose it won't matter if I tell you or not. A female blue vigilante who likes killing things is a pretty big giveaway. Might as well take out a billboard," She threw her tablet in her duffle, leaving the one from Star Labs on the table.

"Why are you going? We need you, the team needs you," Cisco said, finally freeing himself from the second knife.

"For what? Killing the Metas? That's not what you guys want to do. You want them locked away to study them to use them to cure things. Like Danton Black. His DNA and his ability to clone is why I didn't need stitches. Mardon and his powers could cure any draught. He could stop hurricanes before they hit, prevent floods with a wave of his hand," She scoffed and stepped around him, avoiding his advances. "Star Labs already has a mechanical engineer. He's brilliant, amazing and a genius. I know him; he could solve anything he put his mind to. I highly doubt they need a Russian literature expert. Maybe Ra's will take me back. I can be a horseman again, I'll have purpose."

"Enough! What the hell is wrong with you?" Cisco shouted, shocking Tala into freezing, but she still didn't look at him.

"It's my fault Ronnie is dead! He could've made it to the fucking door in time! Before you closed it. I tripped. I wasn't wearing any shoes when I pulled my armor on. I tripped on the stupid floor and fell. Ronnie was ten feet ahead of me and heard me. He turned around and came back for me. I was counting down the seconds. I wasn't expecting to come back, and now Caitlin lost her fiancé because I fell over! I had my bow staff, I could've easily knocked his ass out and left him in the cortex. I should've. He wouldn't've died, Caitlin would be married and she'd smile!" Tala screamed, falling to her knees.

A wave of blue matter shoved out from her, pushing everything except Cisco backwards. The scalpel with her blood on it embedded itself in the wall. "I can't fight crime the way Barry does, I'm not fast, and he can't carry me everywhere, especially when the problem is some jack wagon is getting away from the police. I can't do anything in that scenario. I'm no use to him as the hero of Central City, and I'm no use to Star Labs beyond funding and keeping people from looking too closely at what you are all doing."

"Why do you want to leave us?" Cisco asked, kneeling in front of her, hoping he could get her to look at him.

"Why should I stay? I can do more good for you guys as Miss Merlyn, CEO. The'eb Sagheer isn't what Central City needs."

"What about Tala? She's pretty awesome. She inspires me everyday to get up and help people. She believes in me and laughs at my jokes. I think Tala is the most important member of all of us at Star Labs." Cisco looked at her, hoping to finally get through to her. "Is this because of Barry? Because he can get to the places you need to be in seconds, and you think he's more useful?" Tala's cheeks burned red, so he knew he hit the mark.

"Tala, he's a speedster, he's able to get to places like Keystone within minutes. But he's a bit of an idiot. He went up against our Metahuman and brought us a poisonous gas sample, in his lungs. He can't fight to save his life, the only reason Danton Black didn't kill him when he was completely outnumbered was because he was fast." Cisco sighed and took Tala's hands, taking care to be gentle with her broken one. "My mother once told me, when I was born Dante became so jealous, because I was suddenly taking some of his attention. Eventually, Dante realized he could teach me things, like how to walk, and how to talk, and that's how he found his place as an older brother. You just have to find your place as an older sister to Barry."

Tala tried to smile, but settled for nodding.

"Okay. I'll try. Do you think Caitlin will look at my hand?" Tala asked sheepishly.

"Probably. Though she might strangle you first for operating on yourself." Tala gave him an apprehensive look.

"How about we don't tell her that?" Cisco laughed as he pulled Tala to her feet.

"She'll know. Come on, the van is outside." Cisco grabbed her duffle and led her out of the warehouse. He drove her back to the lab, practically dragging her into the medical lab and pushing her into a chair in front of Caitlin.

"She has broken her hand. Can you make sure she's set it properly?" Tala smiled cutely at Caitlin, hoping to avoid getting throttled.

"Come on, I'll need to take an X-ray to see what all needs set. How did you break it?" Caitlin asked, leading the way to the X Ray machine.

"Punched a concrete wall, then a polycarbonate steel wall, then another concrete wall. Maybe," Tala said, avoiding eye contact with the Doctor.

Caitlin just huffed, glaring at Tala while she got the photos of the fractures. Tala tilted her head to look at Cisco and Caitlin froze, staring at the assassin.

"Tala? Where is your necklace?" Caitlin asked, her voice deadly calm.

"Stabbed into a table in an abandoned warehouse where I performed experimental surgery on myself," Tala said very quickly.

"Cisco, repeat what she said so I can make sure I understood that," Caitlin said, wheeling on him. Cisco gulped and took a step back.

"She got mad at life and herself so after punching three walls in varying fits of rage she stormed off to an abandoned warehouse where she used her powers to replace the wiring on her shattered spine in an experimental surgery." Caitlin glared at them both before stalking over to the comms system to summon Doctor Wells.

"I recorded my notes. They're on this tablet. Can we set my hand before you kill me?" Tala asked right as Harrison wheeled himself in.

"Why are we killing Tala?" He asked, a small smile on his face, looking for a brief moment as if he knew why already.

"She performed an experimental surgery on herself, completely unsupervised! She could've died!" Caitlin said, so loudly and so out of character for her, that no one except Cisco heard Tala mutter, "I should've." He jabbed her in the ribs and sent her a filthy look.

"Caitlin, I understand the risks I took, but they were calculated risks. Should anything have gone bad, everything I had with me was programmed to contact you and Francisco as well as every EMT within a seven-mile radius. Now please, my hand?" Caitlin huffed as she looked at the X-Rays on her tablet. She turned it around to show Tala where the breaks were and where and how they would need to be set. It took the two of them ten minutes to set the different breaks.

"Thankfully, you should be able to start using your left hand again in about two weeks. Until then, no archery, no throwing knives, no punching walls, nothing with your left hand, understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Tala said, morosely.

"Cisco, I'm holding you responsible for it. Make sure she doesn't use it. I'll force you into a sling if I need to." The two nodded quickly, Tala wanting to avoid a sling, and Cisco wanting to avoid Caitlin's wrath. "The two of you go home, it's late. Tala, you need to at least take an aspirin for the swelling. In the meantime, I'm going to listen to your notes and yell at you in the morning if you did anything too stupid." They all exchanged smiles and farewells before Cisco drove Tala home.

The morning came quickly for the assassin, who woke with her hand in pain. She groaned and rolled over onto Cisco, who woke up when he felt pressure on top of him. He opened his eyes and saw a sleep ruffled Tala wearing his shirt from yesterday, sitting on him, straddling his hips. He gulped and took a deep breath.

"Tala, you're on top of me," He said, fighting to keep his voice neutral.

"I can fix that," She said, her speech slightly slurred from sleep. She leaned down and in a smooth motion, flipped them so he was the one straddling her. He took another deep breath.

"This isn't better," He said, giving up on keeping a steady voice. Tala stretched, arching her back and allowing the shirt to rise up on her abdomen. Cisco's breath hitched as he watched her.

"It is for me," Tala replied saucily, wiggling her hips under him. Cisco gulped again as Tala sat up. He was eerily reminded of when she woke up from her coma, for a brief moment before she distracted him again. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down so he was lying on top of her, his elbows supporting his upper body. "You know, we don't have to be at the lab this morning. We could have a lie in. Or tell them we're having a lie in." Tala whispered in his ear, her hand playing with his hair while the other one drifted down his back, tracing nonsensical patterns on his spine.

She pressed a kiss to his temple, then his cheek before pressing on to the corner of his mouth. She waited a few seconds, holding her breath, waiting to see if he would move before pressing her lips to his. She could tell he wasn't breathing, so she slowly guided the kiss until he reciprocated. She grinned into the kiss and flipped them over again, taking control; one hand wrapped in his hair, holding him in place, the other on his hip, trying to get under his shirt. She groaned into the kiss when Cisco's teeth grazed her bottom lip, before hissing in pain when she bent her hand the wrong way.

Tala sat upright and brought her hand out from in Cisco's hair, clutching it to her chest. She pushed with her powers, reinforcing the makeshift cast she had earlier. Cisco looked at her, a slight haze in his eyes before he fully realized what was going on.

"Tala, what was that?" He asked, sitting up underneath her.

"I bent my hand wrong. Lost focus on the cast I had. My fault. You didn't have to get up, I was having fun, and so were you." She shot him a lopsided grin, her eyes flashing with amusement.

"Yeah, what was that?!" Cisco asked again, his voice rising in pitch.

"Did you not want that?" Tala's face lost all of her emotion, and her shoulders fell. She stood smoothly and darted to the bathroom where Cisco instantly heard water in the shower running. He stared at the door, trying to figure out what had happened. He decided to quickly look at it logically. Tala had kissed him. Tala had enjoyed kissing him. Tala was willing to go further, but had been stopped by her injury. He had kissed her. He had enjoyed kissing her. He was also willing to go further, but had gotten confused. Keeping all that in mind he got out of bed and started pulling off his pajamas as he walked toward the bathroom. Tala may have locked it, but she forgot there was a key above the door. Cisco unlocked it quietly and stepped in the shower behind her.

"What are you doing here Cisco?" She asked him coldly as she reached for the shampoo.

"Caitlin said you weren't allowed to use your hand, so I'm preventing you from doing that. Also, my conditioner is better than yours so you need to use it." Cisco pulled the shampoo bottle from her hand and poured a little of it into his palm, lathering up her hair for her. Tala hummed in pleasure and leaned backwards against him.

"Your conditioner might be better, but my shampoo smells better." Tala said as she rinsed the soap off of her. She grinned before turning to pin Cisco against the wall of the shower, nuzzling his jaw until he tilted his head back, allowing her to place deliberate kisses along his neck and jawline. Cisco groaned and knew they would be going to work late.

Tala strutted into the cortex, a feral grin on her face, while Cisco walked in behind her in a daze. Tala dropped herself into her usual chair at the desk, and started opening up their satellite feed, the tablet on her lap showing a dozen emails from Merlyn Industries. Cisco went to poke around at the gas sample they stole from Barry's lungs, quickly gulping down a second cup of coffee to shake the fog from his head. He pulled up a 3D structure of it and showed it to Tala, who pushed and created a holographic model of it. Cisco turned on the PA system.

"Barry, Caitlin, you down there? You've gotta come see this," He said, summoning their friends.

"Who needs a hologram when you have me?" Tala giggled, sending a sly glance at Cisco, who felt a shiver go down his spine. Caitlin and Barry walked into the cortex, Caitlin no longer looked as sad as she had previously. Barry squinted at her, noticing something different, but not placing it.

"Hey, check this out. It's a 3D molecular model of the gas from your lungs," Cisco said, pointing to the screen and holding up the physical model Tala made.

"We have identified the toxin," Harrison said, looking between Tala and Cisco before shaking his head slightly.

"Hydrogen Cyanide?" Barry asked, looking at the model in Cisco's hand.

"What's interesting is what's mixed in with the cyanide." Tala said, jumping up and over the desk, moving to stand next to Cisco, who leaned against her without a thought. "There's a sedative."

Barry smacked his hand to his forehead.

"Of course! The night of the explosion, check if anyone was executed." Barry turned to Caitlin who moved to grab a tablet.

"Why?" Harrison asked, looking at the speedster.

"That's what they give people who are sentenced to death. The Metahuman is a hit man, probably from the Darbinyan Crime family. He said he had a list. The family testified against him, the woman was a judge right, she did the sentencing. Who arrested him? That's the last name on his list!" Tala put all the pieces together, forming a picture in her head of what happened.

"There was someone executed, Kyle Nimbus." Caitlin pulled his file up on the computer screen in front of them. Tala blinked when she recognized him.

"I know him. Merlyn Global had a few board members murdered, two years ago, just before I came back from Nanda Parbat. We had footage of him entering and leaving, but it wasn't enough to get a conviction," She said, glaring at the picture of him on the screen. She grabbed her tablet and started adding the information to his Meta file.

"Caitlin, who arrested him? That's his next target." Barry asked, moving to check his file.

"Barry, the lead detective. It was Joe." Barry lost the color in his cheeks.

"Suit up. This one is all you. I broke my hand." Tala held up her left hand, showing him the brace. Barry called Joe's phone twice, getting slightly more agitated each time he didn't answer. Tala typed on her computer, turning the Merlyn satellite to try and track Joe's phone.

"Eddie!" Barry said when he finally got someone to pick up. "Where's Joe, it's really important I speak with him and he's not picking up."

"Found him!" Tala cheered, pulling her injured hand away from the keyboard with a sneer at it. "He's at Iron Heights." Barry and Tala said to the other.

"Barry, I reverse engineered an antidote to the toxin. I hope you won't need it," Caitlin said as Barry suited up and raced there. Cisco pushed Tala out of the way and stole her computer.

"Barry, I pulled up the specs on Iron Heights. It's maximum security, but I think I can talk you through breaking in there," He said, glancing at Tala. "Or Tala can, she looks like she's broken into a prison before."

"Twice. Actually. Once was Guantanamo bay. Political rivals needed people dead," Tala said, leaning back and sipping her coffee.

"Don't bother, I've been figuring out how to break in there since I was eleven." Barry said. Tala turned to Cisco, pride in her eyes.

"Your fancy comms system really works, we don't get any of the wind feedback." Cisco smiled and preened slightly under her gaze. "I'm going to run down to the Pipeline, make sure we have a cell specifically set for the Mist. Don't let him get dead."

Tala spun her chair around and moved toward the Pipeline, turning on her comms device in the bracelet she was wearing. She tapped the screen that scanned her palm, and denied her entry.

"Oh that's just rude." Tala balanced her tablet on her knee and started typing in an override code, essentially taking over the system and forcing it to listen to her. It finally broke with a nearly audible snap, causing Tala to make a face. The door opened and she took a deep breath before looking in the dark tunnel. A few more strokes of the tablet turned on the lights and brought forward the cell Cisco had labeled Mist. She heard Caitlin say that Barry used their antidote on Joe.

"Don't breathe him in." Was her not so helpful advice.

"Barry, my matter can stay out and about because it's solid. It's stable. The more Nimbus is in his gas form the more unstable his cells are. He should collapse eventually if he's in his gaseous form for too long," She said into her comms. She waited, hoping to hear from Barry soon.

"Barry. Barry!" Harrison shouted into the comms.

"We win," Barry said, panting slightly. Tala jumped and punched the air. She went up to the cortex, approving of the specs of the cell.

"You lot know that my palm print doesn't register, right?" She said as she wandered back into the Cortex, draping herself over Cisco's shoulders.

"We just put you in the system last week!" Cisco complained, smiling as she nuzzled into his hair.

"My left hand didn't work, and that's the one I registered. Do you think it's because of my powers surrounding it? I didn't think it would matter because it's clear. I just hacked into the system. You had a good firewall in place. I'll rebuild it. Or rather, I'll have Glasses rebuild it." Tala shrugged as Barry raced in, a knocked out Nimbus with him. "Barry! Nice job."

Tala hauled up Nimbus and carried him down to his cell, where he was quickly locked up. Barry then turned and ran to the hospital where Joe was recovering from the cyanide poisoning.

Tala stood down there and was joined by Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison as Nimbus came to. He was in a frothing rage.

"Will it hold?" Caitlin asked nervously.

"The barrier is powered by an 8.3 tesla superconducting electromagnet, which is about a hundred thousand times the strength of earth's magnetic field," Cisco said, reaching to take Tala's right hand.

"In other words, yes. It'll hold. Unless we turn on the particle accelerator again." Tala said, leaning tiredly against Cisco.

"He's mad." Harrison observed, causing Tala and Cisco to snort. "Well, goodnight." He activated the lock from his tablet, and they watched as the door to the pipeline closed, Tala flinching slightly.

"So we're supposed to get used to working above a makeshift prison housing evil people with superpowers?" Caitlin asked, looking at them. Tala shrugged.

"I could kill him, then we would just need to get rid of the body, which I could also do, but I doubt your guys' morals would let me do that," Tala said as if she were discussing the weather.

"You'd be surprised what you can get used to, Caitlin," Harrison said as he wheeled himself away. Tala nodded in agreement, thinking about how her ten-year-old self had fainted at the sight of blood. Caitlin turned to leave, before Cisco stopped her.

"Caitlin," She stopped and looked at Cisco. Tala squeezed his hand reassuringly, thinking she knew what he was going to say. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, what's up?" Tala stood, letting Cisco lean against her.

"It's about the night Ronnie died," Cisco said, and Caitlin's face fell slightly. "I-"

"Look, Cisco, I'm okay. I thought coming down here would undo me, but, thinking about what Ronnie, and Tala, did to protect us, it just made me love him more. Come on, I need ice cream, or a drink. Let's see which one we hit first." Tala offered Caitlin her left elbow and the three of them walked out to the Cortex, then to their cars. They drove into downtown and headed to a frozen yogurt place Tala wanted to try.

"This is good froyo. Oh, let me tell you two about the first time Nyssa tried ice cream," Tala said excitedly. "The two of us were tracking targets in Japan. We stopped because they were in an embassy, and while we could get in there, we didn't dare risk causing an international incident. ARGUS would've killed us. So we stopped at this tiny little ice cream stand across the street from where are targets were. Mind you, we weren't in normal clothing, but our armor, just with our hoods pulled down. I immediately ordered chocolate with caramel swirl. Nyssa had no idea what I was even asking about. I got her strawberry with a chocolate drizzle. She licked it, instantly getting brain freeze, and stared at me as if I were Mohammed reborn. She wouldn't let us go back to Nanda Parbat without getting another cone."

"You're telling me you two ate ice cream before and after an assassination?" Caitlin asked, enjoying her blueberry froyo topped with fruit and chocolate.

"We don't consider killing anything stranger than brushing your teeth. I was in the military too, so I've never had an issue with it. I don't know how to describe it."

"At least you don't have a God complex," Cisco commented.

"Nah, I'm just a Goddess." She snorted, making Cisco and Caitlin laugh. They walked around the town, occasionally letting themselves be dragged into shops by Tala. After an hour Caitlin decided to turn in for the night, leaving Cisco and Tala walking around holding hands.

"I don't want to ask, but I'm going to anyway. What is this? Us?" Cisco asked, squeezing her hand.

"I don't know. Whatever we want it to be. I'm happy, happier than I've been in a while. There's less pressure in Central City, there's no pressure with you. With Sara, there was pressure to stay hidden, and know that one day I'd have to marry a man to keep up appearances as an heiress. With Ollie, there was the pressure to keep my emotions out of the fights against the bad guys. With you, if this progresses, I don't have to marry someone else to keep appearances for my company. I don't have to worry about you while I'm guarding your back because I know you're safely back in Star Labs, and I'm not in the field much anyway. I'm not going to stand here and tell you that I don't care for you, but if someone else catches your attention, and you think you want to give them a shot, I don't want you to worry about hurting me. I want you to be happy," She said, smiling gently. It wasn't a smile of excitement; it was one of contentment, and belonging. Cisco looked at her, and smiled too.

"Home?" He asked, dropping her hand to wrap his arm around her waist. She nodded and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe we can get a repeat of this morning?" She asked, reaching over to play with his hair.

"If I ever say no to that, you should probably shoot me." Cisco grabbed her right hand and pulled her along the street at a jog, laughing the whole way. Tala smiled and felt weightless for the first time in a while.

Speedy: _I'm back in Starling City. I'm going to reopen Verdant._

Me: _I'll make sure you have the money you need. It's good to have you back Sis._

Speedy: _Thank you for telling me everything Wolfie._

Me: _Anything for family Speedy._

Tala stood in her backyard, wearing Cisco's shirt, holding her phone. Her sister and father were back in Starling; her family was getting back together. She had Cisco, Caitlin, Barry and Harrison, her family back in Starling could take care of themselves, everything was as it should be. She smiled and looked at the moon, thinking of her mom. Hearing Barry talk about his mom made her remember hers.

"I love you mom, and I hope you're proud of me. I hope you like Cisco as much as I do." Tala looked up at the moon and smiled, before going back to bed, wrapping her arms around Cisco and pulling him against her chest, smiling contentedly when he rolled over and used her right shoulder as a pillow. She pulled the quilt up and fell asleep, dreaming of a life without Metahumans, and with Cisco.

Hello readers! Sorry that it has taken me so long to actually speak to you, I'm still trying to figure out how this website actually works. It's probably really simple, but for someone who works in IT, I'm really bad at computers. My posting schedule will be every Sunday without fail. I have like nine different alarms on my phone reminding me to update this. I don't have a Beta, so all the mistakes and continuity errors are completely mine.

I won't do author's note like this very often, so my disclaimer gonna be here. I don't own any of the Arrowverse, despite having a terrifying amount of Merch. Tala, Cody, Kyle and Cynthia are mine, but even then I don't make money off of this.

Also, since this story got another follower today, I'm posting this chapter early! So thank you Immortalman18! I love getting emails saying I gained followers, they show me that people actually read this!

Reviews are always appreciated, as are questions and comments about the story, if you want to reach out to me outside of FFN, my email address and the like are all posted on my profile. Much love to each of you! ~Atalie and Tala


	6. 106 Going Rogue

Tala slept in. At least, she did until she was woken up by a kiss and the smell of fresh coffee.

"Coffee?" She asked, blearily looking around her. She turned to try and find it, and was greeted with another kiss. She smiled and leaned into it, her mind taken off coffee for a minute.

"That wasn't English, but I'm guessing you were asking for this?" Cisco asked, handing her her usual blue thermos, filled with fresh coffee and hazelnut creamer. "Or were you perhaps smelling this?" Cisco pulled a plate of hot blueberry pancakes from behind his back, making Tala gasp and look at him with wide eyes.

"How did you know?" She asked, taking the plate happily.

"I texted your little sister. Who then threatened me very creatively with a sword as to what she would do if I hurt you in anyway." Tala looked up with a forkful of pancakes already in her mouth.

"Sounds like Thea. She's a Merlyn through and through. Oh! I didn't tell you yesterday." She swallowed, and looked up at Cisco, who was settling his plate of chocolate chip pancakes on the night table. "I decided I'm going to take some computer science classes online through Central City University. I'll never be as good as Glasses, but I'll be able to hack things more efficiently. Hopefully."

"I think it'll be good for you, and it'll be fun. How's the company going? Any word on the Ceremony?" Tala groaned theatrically into her pancakes.

"The freaking board of Directors wants to hold the ceremony in Starling City, where the main branch is located. Palmer Tech has also muscled in on my spotlight and is going to be hosting the whole event. If I didn't already know Ray, I'd punch his pretty teeth in. So we're going to have to go to Starling in a month for the stupid rebranding of the entire company, then back here for the rebranding of Star Labs."

Cisco laughed, feeling bad for the small CEO in his room. The two quickly finished their pancakes and got ready for work. Tala's Merlyn Industries calendar was clear for the week, which she was grateful for due to her still injured hand.

"Day off!" Barry cheered as he sped into the cortex, carrying coffee for each of them. Tala grinned and kissed his cheek as she took hers and Cisco's.

"Good, that means we can use today to test your reflexes and if your speed can help you in other matters," Harrison said as he took his cup.

"What did you have in mind?" Barry asked, looking around at the team. Tala and Cisco exchanged looks.

"Round Robin Tourney!" They cheered and high fived. Cisco ran to find a Ping-Pong table, while Tala dug out a chessboard and Operation.

"You're going to go through each of these, playing Chess with Harrison, because I'm miserable at it, Operation with Cait and ping pong with Cisco because I'm a lefty with a broken hand. I'm going to occasionally throw things at you. Some will be soft, others will be sharp. You have to multitask and not die. Sound fun?" Tala grinned at him, a slightly manic look in her eyes. Cisco threw a paddle at Barry.

"Go!" Cisco and Tala shouted, sharing beaming smiles.

"This isn't even remotely anatomically correct!" Caitlin protested ten minutes later, as her buzzer went off. Tala snickered and tossed a ball of blue matter at Barry. He dodged it and moved over to take his turn with Operation.

"That's not the point Doctor Snow!" Barry said as he removed a piece from the board. Tala batted the pong ball back to Cisco when she noticed it was about to fall to the floor. She then casually threw another ball of matter, followed by a dagger at the speedster. He dodged them both.

"Then what is the point?" Caitlin asked, frustrated, as Barry zipped back to Ping-Pong.

"To have fun!" He cheered.

"And continue your ongoing training!" Harrison said. "We're testing the speed of your mind by pushing your ability to multitask."

Barry zipped over to the chessboard and moved a piece. Tala glanced over and made a note on her tablet. She threw a piece of matter at the board, wondering what Barry would do.

"I'm waiting on you Doctor Wells." Barry grabbed the piece of matter and pushed it to the ground, passing her test. Tala looked up sharply as her tablet warned her of a robbery. She looked up and was about to say something.

"Checkmate," Harrison said. Barry ran over.

"Wait, checkmate?"

"Checkmate. I guess we still have a few things left to learn, don't we Mister Allen?" Harrison asked, looking up at the speedster.

"Barry! Two eleven. Armed robbery at,"

"Fourth and Kolins!" Cisco finished, looking up at the computer that just got the alert from the Star Labs satellite.

"For the record, I crushed it at ping pong and Operation." He sped out, and Caitlin tried to get another game piece out, failing.

"It's not as easy as it looks," She whined, causing Tala to smile.

"How did you know before the alarm went off?" Cisco asked Tala, walking over to stand behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Caitlin raised an eyebrow at their behavior.

"My tablet is connected to the Merlyn satellite which Glasses has rigged to scan the police dispatch every three seconds. I'm guessing Star Lab's satellites don't pull information, just wait until they receive it." Tala shrugged and looked up at him, smiling when their eyes met.

"Where's the nearest hospital?" Barry asked over comms. Tala's eyes went wide, worried about her friend.

"Saint Andrew's, seven blocks north, two east," Caitlin said, keeping her calm.

"If Barry needed a hospital, he'd come here, remember?" Cisco soothed, rubbing the pad of his thumb across her cheek.

"Call the ER, tell them they have an incoming GSW!" Barry shouted. Tala grabbed her phone and dialed.

"You have an incoming GSW, ETA less than a minute, start prepping!" She ended the call. Cisco told her she worried too much, to which she shrugged. Barry ran the guy to the hospital. "I'm going to be needed as CSI. I'll come back to the labs later."

"Right, anyone for lunch? I'm starving. And I'll buy." Tala stood and stretched, looking around the room.

"Of course you're buying, you're the billionaire," Cisco sassed her as he grabbed her coat and tossed it to her. "Chinese?"

"Oh, yes, I haven't had that in ages! Cait?" Tala looked excitedly at the bio-engineer.

"Sure, which place?"

"I'll come if it's Dragon Palace out on Third," Harrison called, pulling his coat on as he wheeled himself to the group. Tala caught a strong feeling of the same energy Barry gave off. She looked at the back of Harrison's head and studied him for a moment before looping arms with Cisco and Cait and pulling them into the elevator.

Speedy: _She will kill me, but I'm giving you warning. You're about to have a guest._

Me: _Who? Don't tell me Dad sent Nyssa here?_

Speedy: _Nope. Definitely better than that. You'll see!_

"I have the worst feeling in the world," Tala said as they left the restaurant.

"That, my dear, is because you ate more than me and Cait combined!" Cisco said, patting her cheek patronizingly. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"No, it's a good feeling, but also a bad one. Does that make sense?"

She got a round of 'no's' and pouted as she jumped into the back of the Star Labs van with Harrison. The energy was still there, vibrating like Barry's did. She ignored it and enjoyed listening to Cisco and Cait's banter. They got back to Star Labs and wandered into the cortex. Tala pulled for her armor, watching it materialize in her hand, rather than on her. She passed it to Cisco who was going back to work on it.

"And this is where my team monitors the police bands for criminal activity. We can track anything that's happening. Check this out: we've got our own satellite." Barry said as he led Felicity into the cortex.

"She knows. She's hacked it a few times, which is rude by the way. If you want access, you only had to ask. I can even set one up to monitor Starling for you if you want," Tala said, looking at Felicity. "Hey Glasses."

Felicity ran over and hugged Tala.

"It is, of course so wonderful to see you again Felicity. I'm just wondering how much of our operation she needs to know about?" Caitlin asked, looking at Barry dangerously. Tala scoffed.

"She's good Cait. She can keep secrets," Tala said, beaming.

"Yeah, Felicity works with the Arrow, the green one anyway," Barry said, causing the two Starling City women to look at him with death in their eyes.

"Sweet!" Cisco cheered, making Tala roll her eyes. He either forgot he knew who Ollie was, didn't recognize Ollie when he visited, or was really good at pretending he didn't know.

"And you apparently cannot!" Tala and Felicity scolded Barry.

"Now, it's all making sense! You know who the Arrow is!" Cisco said, pointing at Felicity with his Red Vine, he then turned to Barry, "Wait, do you know who the Arrow is?"

"Al Sa-him is a twit, who needs to call me more often. And you can tell him I said that," Tala said while Barry hummed his way out of answering Cisco's question.

"Let's just say that my team has a similar setup, but with more pointy objects," Felicity said, causing Tala to snort.

"Understatement of the century. Al Sa-him likes his sharp toys. To be fair, I have three different weapons caches around town. Just to be safe." Tala grinned at her friends, and Cisco mouthed the word three at her. She just winked.

"Welcome Miss Smoak!" Harrison greeted, making Felicity start and turn.

"Doctor Wells? _The_ Doctor Wells?" She gushed, making Harrison laugh.

"Please, call me Harrison, Felicity."

"You know who I am?" She asked, her eyes wide. She glanced at Tala then back to Harrison. Tala forced herself to keep a straight face.

"Ranked second in the National Informative Technology competition at age nineteen. Graduated MIT with a Master's Degree in cyber security and computer sciences. I know who you are. I keep an eye out for promising talent in scientific fields. That's what brought me Cisco and Caitlin, and I foresaw great things from you." Felicity had the look on her face that Tala recognized as fangirling.

"Speaking of great things, wanna see something cool?" Barry asked, subtly showing off for Felicity. She nodded and he led her out of the cortex. Tala leaned over to Cisco and whispered in his ear.

"As much as I want her with my brother, they are stupid cute together." Cisco laughed, taking her hand and leading the remaining three of them down to where Barry was waiting near the treadmill. Caitlin noticed them holding hands and raised an eyebrow at them.

"How fast can he run?" Felicity asked, watching Barry run on the treadmill. Tala stood in the room, projecting a net, to catch him, as she always did when he ran.

"He hasn't reached his top speed yet, theoretically speaking," Harrison said.

"So is he really okay?" Felicity worried.

"His heart rate is in a normal range for him," Caitlin said, showing her his vitals.

"No, I mean the lightning bolt changed him. Do any of you really know how much?"

"We know a fair amount," Cisco said, looking at Felicity.

"If everything about him is sped up, is he going to age faster? What would happen if he ran too fast? Would he just be running and then poof, he's dust in a red costume?" Felicity advanced on Harrison, making Tala sad she was protecting the speedster and couldn't watch.

"Everything we do here at Star Labs is to protect Barry Allen," Harrison soothed. "Trust us Felicity, he is in very good hands here."

"Wanna see how fast I can run backwards?" Barry shouted, causing Tala to tense, and toss out a second layer of netting to catch him. Sure enough, she caught him just as he impacted the wall of boxes filled with foam peanuts.

"Don't worry, he heals quickly too," Caitlin reassured.

"You're cleaning this up this time Barry," Tala complained. She shook a few peanuts out of her hair and left the room, opening the door with her right hand, running her left through her hair. She hissed when she felt the blue brace falter as she lost focus on it. She quickly strengthened it, glaring at it.

"What did you do?" Felicity demanded, looking at her hand.

"I punched a wall. Or three. Caitlin said I couldn't use my hand for two weeks," Tala pouted, holding up her hand, showing Felicity the dark matter brace she was wearing. "Any more questions?" Tala asked, dropping into the chair next to Cisco and propping her feet up on his lap.

"Yeah, when did you two start that?" She gestured to Tala and Cisco who looked at each other, then back to her.

"What do you mean?" They asked in unison.

"Tala, I know you as well as I know your brother. Let me guess, Caitlin. Whenever she's in the room with him she watches him. She's always trying to touch him, or be near him? She has a nickname for him in every language she can speak? Wears his shirts as often as she can get away with? And if anything vaguely threatening happens, she steps in front of him?" Felicity asked, not noticing that Tala's face was burning bright red. Cisco's was too, he hadn't noticed her doing half of those things, but now that they had been pointed out, he felt stupid for not realizing she liked him before she kissed him.

"She does all those things. She's even stolen a corner in his lab to hang out in. She calls him, Koneko," Caitlin told Felicity, causing the assassin to blush even harder.

"Tala, you and your brother are the same person. So I ask again, when did it start?"

"Last week," Tala mumbled, her face bright red. Barry entered the room to see her trying to burrow herself into her shirt, and Cisco looking like he'd rather have been anywhere else.

"What did I miss?" He asked.

"Cisco's love life with our resident assassin," Caitlin recapped, glancing at Barry, who started at the two in open-mouthed shock.

"Cisco, Cisco and Tala? Tala and Cisco?" He asked, pointing at them both. Tala groaned and mumbled something rude sounding in Russian.

"I'm not happy to see you anymore, Glasses."

Tala stood and walked off, trying to force the blush from her cheeks. Cisco followed and guided her down to where they kept a few experimental things.

"Don't let Felicity get to you. I think she means well," Cisco soothed, rubbing his hand down her back.

"It's weird being teased by a friend. In the League, sex and relationships were just there. Back in Starling City, it was me and the Arrow - Al Sa-him I called him. We weren't together out of any sense of love, not at first. We just understood each other. Understood what the other was going through. Now, with you, I'm lighter, happier, there isn't any pressure, just happiness and your amazing pancakes." They entered the room, each typing in their individual passcodes.

"I still think Harrison is paranoid. We only have like five employees that aren't us main five. It's not like anything will go missing," Tala grumbled as they went through the checks. She glanced in the lockers of the experimental and secret works of the team. She knew Cisco had a few things down here. She kept a few of her more touchy weapons out of sight in the lockers. Tala frowned as she passed an empty and open locker.

"Francisco, wasn't something in this locker last time we were down here? They're empty. What were you working on?" Tala asked, pulling Cisco backwards against her.

"I made a weapon, a while ago. A gun that would stop a speedster. It reaches absolute zero," He said haltingly, nervous about the missing gun, and her reaction to discovering he made a weapon to stop Barry.

"It would be able to counteract the vibrations of Barry's cells. Cool! You'll have to show me the specs for it; I wanna know how it works... Wait, it's missing. Oh, Harrison is going to kill us," Tala muttered, hitting her forehead against Cisco's shoulder blade.

"Us? I think you mean me. I created the gun, I'm the reason someone now has a weapon that can kill Barry!" Cisco shouted, panicking a little bit. Tala gripped him tighter, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hush, Little One. All will be well, I promise. I will not leave your side, I will help you find the cold gun again, and I will not let Harrison do anything dramatic. I promise. I will protect you." She whispered into his ear, trying to soothe her best friend. She held him until she felt him relax. "Come, let's find Harrison and tell him the bad news. Then we need to go to Jitters because I have a feeling he won't let us sleep until it's found."

Cisco turned around in her arms, pulling her closer. He rested his forehead on hers and looked in her eyes. "We may want to hit Jitters first then. Why are you so good to me?" He asked, smiling softly. Tala pressed her lips to his.

"Because I remembered you. When I first came home from the League, I had a stop over in Central City. I had a conversation with this cute boy, and couldn't get him out of my head. That was you. You seemed so familiar to me outside the night of the accelerator explosion. Now I have you, and I don't want to let you go." She kissed him again, before starting to lead him out of the lock up and back up to the cortex. They were about to make a run for it when Caitlin came in, holding coffee for everyone.

"Felicity, Barry, and I went to Jitters, so I brought some back." Caitlin explained, passing out everyone's cups. Tala took hers with a strained smile.

"We were about to go before going over the weekly security checks. Thanks Cait," Cisco said, taking a gulp from his.

"I'll come with you," Harrison said, practically shepherding them back down there. Caitlin followed behind, carrying a tablet. Tala and Cisco exchanged panicked looks, before leading the way. Like the trip to everything being dreaded, the walk down seemed to take only seconds.

"Harrison, we're missing something, or somethings. We haven't done a full inventory," Tala said, gritting her teeth.

"What's missing?" He asked, arching his eyebrow like a disappointed parent.

"A cold gun." Cisco whispered, swallowing hard.

"A what?"

"A gun that fires a ray of white light stuff that is at absolute zero. To stop all movement. In case Barry wasn't as friendly as he had turned out to be." Tala explained, subtly moving in front of Cisco. The vibrational energy she felt around Harrison seemed to increase before stilling completely, then jumping back to where it normally was.

"How long has it been missing?" Harrison asked, looking past Tala and directly at Cisco.

"I don't know." Cisco said, staring at the empty locker morosely.

"I'm going to ask you again, Cisco, and when I do, I expect a more specific answer than 'I don't know.' Now how long has the weapon been missing?" He demanded.

"A day, maybe two. Only one janitor didn't show up for work this morning. He was probably the one that took it." Tala said, sipping her coffee.

"I didn't think that-" Harrison slammed the locker closed, cutting Cisco off.

"You didn't think." Harrison growled. Tala noticed the energy was vibrating faster, as if increasing with his rage. She tilted her head and studied him over the lid of her coffee cup. "Because if you had, you would've discussed with me first your desire to create something that could in theory hurt anyone, and in particular, Barry Allen!" Harrison emphasized. Tala pulled Cisco close against her, shielding him from Harrison's vitriol.

"I'm sorry," Cisco said sadly, staring fixedly at Tala's shoulder. "If you would just let me explain!"

"You know how I feel about weapons Cisco, they do not belong in Star Labs. Now you are going to find a way to locate this gun, and you are going to do it right now." Harrison wheeled himself away.

Caitlin watched as Tala comforted Cisco, trying to prevent him from having a breakdown. She led him up to his workshop, and sat him in his chair. Cisco stared blankly at the screen.

"I'm going downstairs to change every code I can manage - start tracking the thing. I wanna find it and learn how you made it before we destroy it." Tala pressed a kiss to the top of Cisco's head and walked away. She came back ten minutes later with a self satisfied grin on her face and soot on her nose. "Nothing is getting in or out of that area without my help. Not even a speedster."

"Police spotted Leonard Snart at the museum, and Barry went after him," Cisco said, switching to a tablet to go up to the cortex.

"Snart?" Tala asked, glancing at the tablet. She made a face. "That doesn't bode well." Cisco shot her a confused look, growing concerned when she shook her head, a thoughtful look on her face. They got up to the cortex where Caitlin was pulling up the telemetry for Barry's suit. He was injured. Tala ground her teeth together before letting out a slow breath. Barry appeared at Star Labs five minutes later, clutching his side.

Tala sprinted over and helped him out of the suit and into normal clothes. His side was dark, and radiated cold.

"It's still numb," He told Caitlin. Felicity was checking something on a tablet behind the bioscientist. Tala gently rubbed over the spot with a warm cloth.

"It's presenting itself as third degree frostbite," Cait explained, sending a curious look at Tala, who nodded once.

"I thought he had hyper-healing!" Felicity exclaimed, shooting an accusing glare at Cait and Tala.

"It's been slowed by the cold. Barry's cells vibrate faster than yours or mine, meaning his body temperature is usually a degree or two higher than ours. The cold means that has been slowed. Everything in this area has been slowed, including his healing. Once he warms up, his speed healing will come back. While you and I couldn't dream of recovering from third degree frostbite, Barry can, as long as it isn't covering him, or a direct hit to the head or chest," Tala explained. "If your cells didn't regenerate at the rate they do, your blood vessels would've frozen solid."

"Snart wasn't another metahuman," Tala looked over at Cisco who had his head down. "He has some kind of gun. It froze things, it slowed me down. Enough that I wasn't able to save someone."

Tala moved over and pulled Cisco into her arms, rubbing her hand up and down his back.

"According to his records, Snart didn't even bother to finish high school. So how did he manage to build a handheld, high tech snow machine?" Felicity asked.

"Star Labs built the cold gun," Tala said, before Harrison could speak. "At my instruction."

Everyone turned to look at her, Cisco even pulled out of her grip to look at her incredulously.

"The cold is especially effective against speedsters, like you Barry. Not only that, it could've been used against Danton, and Mardon and even probably Nimbus. Heat, fire, you vibrate enough to where it wouldn't harm you as much as it would me. Fire wouldn't affect Nimbus either, since he's a gas. We had a janitor not show up this morning, and I believe him to be responsible for this. I'm sorry Barry; it wasn't ever supposed to get out. That blood is on my hands," Tala said, looking at Barry, then Harrison and Caitlin.

"No. It wasn't her fault, it was mine," Cisco said, looking at her fiercely. "I built the gun." Tala moved over to pull him away from this course of potentially losing Barry's trust.

"You did?" Barry asked, looking at him. Cisco moved away from Tala, confusing her, and inexplicably, hurting her. "Why?"

"Like Tala said, speed and cold are opposites. Temperature is measured by how quickly the atoms of something are oscillating. Faster they are, the hotter it is. When things are cold, they're slower on the atomic level. When there's no movement it's called-"

"Absolute Zero." Barry finished, looking at Cisco coldly.

"Yeah. I designed a compact cryo-engine to achieve absolute zero. I built it to stop you. I didn't know who you were then, Barry. I mean, what if you turned out to be some psycho like Mardon or Nimbus?"

"But I didn't, did I?" Barry thundered, outraged.

"We built the entire complex you're standing in to do good," Caitlin jumped in. "And it blew up. In the wake of that, you can understand why Cisco would wanna prepare for the worst!"

"I can understand that. What I can't understand is why you didn't tell me what you did! After all we've been through, I thought you trusted me, I thought we were friends!"

"We are, Barry!" Cisco stepped forward, looking heartbroken.

"If you had just told me, I could've been prepared! But instead, someone died tonight!"

"And I have to live with that," Cisco said, his voice shaking. Tala saw his hands shaking too, and stepped forward to grab him, but was stopped by Harrison's hand.

"No Cisco, we all do." Barry turned and walked out of the cortex, leaving them all standing there in silence. Tala shook off Harrison's hand and moved to Cisco, flinching when he pushed her away and walked off. She stood there, staring after him. She stood there until Caitlin guided her into a chair near the wall. Tala didn't notice.

"I figured out a way to track Captain Cold," Cisco said later as he reentered the cortex, a tablet in hand. Tala silently stood and pulled for her armor. It appeared next to her - Cisco hadn't finished it. She ground her teeth and started pulling on her weapons, attaching them to her jeans and bare arms. She grabbed her mask and placed it on, tying her hair back in a rapid braid. Tala didn't feel the pain of her broken hand protesting the movement.

"You've gotta stop naming these guys," Caitlin said. When Barry didn't turn around, Harrison called out to him.

"Barry, listen to him."

"How?" He asked, his voice still cold. Barry saw Tala suiting up over Cisco's shoulder and met her eyes, barely nodding, saying he would take her. Tala removed the bracelet on her wrist connecting her to comms.

"The cold gun is powered by an engine-control unit. A microcomputer that regulates the air to fuel ratio so the subcooled fluid in the chambers don't overflow and-"

"Explode," Felicity finished. Cisco turned to nod at her and saw Tala suiting up, but didn't notice her lack of bracelet. He didn't think about her hand still being injured, so turned back to Barry.

"Right. This ECU was receiving updates wirelessly from my tablet. If I boost the signal using Central City's network, and send a false update, we'll get a ping back and then."

"We can locate Snart," Harrison nodded, looking at Cisco.

"How long will it take?" Barry asked.

"Um, I have to hack the city's network so thirty minutes, maybe?" Cisco said, moving in front of a keyboard.

"I can do it in less than one," Felicity said, already pushing Cisco aside. "When it comes to hacking, I'm the fastest woman alive."

Felicity sat down and started typing. Tala barely managed to attach her quiver to her calf before Felicity said she was done.

"No, absolutely not. As your doctor, I am forbidding this completely and totally. Your hand is still broken and you don't heal like Barry does." Caitlin said, jumping to her feet when a masked and weapon covered Tala stepped away from the shadows and stood next to Barry.

"I'm going. Star Labs is now my company, I need to clean this mess up. I'm going with Barry." Her voice was distorted still, even without her necklace. It sounded haunting, making Caitlin shiver.

"He's heading west on Nelson toward the train station," Felicity called, looking at Barry.

"If he's leaving, it appears Mister Snart may have gotten what he came for." Barry sped into his suit.

"When we put our minds to it, dude, nothing can stop us," Cisco cheered. Barry turned his comms off, and Tala threw her bracelet down on Felicity's desk where it landed with a sound. "Those were your comms, how are we going to talk to each other?"

"I don't feel like talking right now," Barry said, not looking at Cisco.

"I work better alone," Tala said, pulling on her fingerless gloves. Barry picked her up and sped the two of them out of there. Tala pushed her powers away from her hand, hissing as she flexed it. It hurt, but she had fought with worse pain.

"You should go after Barry and Tala, Cisco." Felicity said.

"You heard them Felicity." Cisco monotoned, hurt by Tala's pushing him away.

"They said they want to do this alone." Caitlin said, shrugging her shoulders. Felicity stood and walked over to their desk.

"Of course they said that! They're hurt, Barry by you not telling him, and Tala because you pushed her away when she tried to help you! You're their team, and their friends. If I had a nickel for every time the Arrow told me to back off, I'd be as rich as Tala! The point is, you have your partner's back, no matter what. That goes double for you, since she loves you, you moron! Tala thought you were pushing her away because she was trying to help you and you said no. She tried to comfort you and you pulled away. You have to pull her back, before she does something stupid." Felicity said, looking at Cisco.

"I have something that might help." Cisco said, smiling.

Tala forced up a shield to protect her from shattering glass as Barry sped them onto the train Snart leapt onto. She stood behind him, already flicking her bow open and reaching for an arrow.

"There's nowhere to run!" Tala said, her voice filling the train car.

"You're new. But you, I didn't see you before. Does your mother know you're out past your bedtime?" Tala kept her face blank but was laughing at his comment in her mind.

"If you wanted to get away, you should've taken something faster than a train," Barry said.

"That's only if I wanted to get away." Leonard said, smirking. Tala felt ice run through her body. Barry didn't like innocent people getting hurt - the train was full of people. Tala mentally screamed as she realized Snart expected him to appear. "I've seen your weakness, at the armored car, then at the theatre. So while you two are busy saving everyone else, I'll be saving myself." Tala tapped her nail against her arrow twice, telling Barry she'd go after Snart while he saved the people.

Snart fired onto the floor, freezing the train, then moved over to the doors. Tala shoved the one behind her open with her powers and kicked it down, leaping out of the car after him.

"You didn't account for me. I'm a little more ruthless than my partner in red," Tala said, dropping the arrow back in its quiver and pulling out a throwing knife. She tossed it at him, watching the way he moved as he dodged. He didn't have formal training, just good instincts and a quick mind.

"Oh good, then you'll be a challenge!" Leonard said as he fired the gun at her. Tala shoved up a wall of matter, watching as the cold didn't freeze it, or cause it to shatter. She grinned, her eyes taking on a manic look. Snart started firing short blasts in quick succession, forcing Tala to dodge them. She laughed as she flipped forward, bringing herself nose to nose with him. She licked her blue lips as she met his eyes.

"You're fun!" She cheered as she swept his feet out from under him. She kicked toward the side of his head, but Leonard grabbed her foot and twisted, snapping the bone. Tala screamed behind her teeth, clenching them tightly when she tested her weight on it, but shoved her powers to her right ankle and braced it. "That all you got?" She asked, a smile plastered on her face.

Tala fell to the ground in pain when Leonard fired the gun at her left leg. The cold blast hit her right thigh, encasing her leg in ice. With her powers wrapped around her leg to support her, she didn't think she'd gotten frostbite, but she couldn't get her powers in between the ice and her leg. She laid on the ground and watched as Leonard advanced on Barry. With her leg frozen straight, she couldn't stand, so she shoved, and covered Barry in a full body casing of blue matter. It shimmered as Captain Cold fired at Barry's back.

"You're fast kid. And your girl's tough. I almost want to take her with me. But you're not fast enough." Tala watched as Leonard advanced on him, and tried to pull herself forward. She crawled over to Barry, pulling herself over on her elbows, ignoring the small cuts and abrasions she could feel forming on her arms. As Captain Cold stood over Barry, Tala managed to pull herself over to where he was.

"You'll have to kill me before you hurt him." Tala ground her teeth as she forced herself to stand, quickly creating a wall of blue matter to brace herself on. She stood in front of Barry, and calmly stared down the barrel of the cold gun. "You get out of here. Now."

"You'd make a good criminal," Snart said, looking at her appreciatively.

"I make a good assassin. They're not too different," Tala responded, venom in her words.

"I should thank you. You made me up my game, not just with this gun, but with how I think about the job. It's been educational."

"Important for someone who never completed high school," Tala smirked.

"Drop it!" Cisco's voice sounded, coming from behind Leonard. She didn't look, but kept her eyes on the cold gun, making sure she kept Barry covered.

"This is a prototype cold gun, four times the size, four times the power."

"I thought you were only talking to her." Leonard leaned over and looked at Barry. "Broken hand - and now a damaged leg. But a whole team? I'm impressed."

"Hey, unless you wanna taste of your own medicine, I'd back the hell up!" Cisco said.

"Your hands are shaking, you've never killed anyone." Leonard observed, barely glancing at Cisco. Tala looked and saw Felicity and Caitlin carrying a decorated vacuum. She forced herself not to roll her eyes. If Leonard called his bluff, they'd all be dead. Including her Cisco. She pulled the matter away from Barry and pushed it in front of Cisco and the girls, thickening it until it was almost visible to Snart.

"There's a first time for everything, and besides, that's my girlfriend you've got at gunpoint, Captain Cold." Tala watched Leonard think his new moniker over and smile. "I will shoot you!" Cisco said, pretending to adjust his grip on the gun.

"You win, kid," Snart said, looking right at Tala. "I'll see you around, babe." He nodded to her and turned, powering down his cold gun.

"Hey, leave the diamond!" Cisco shouted. Tala shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Don't push your luck," Snart said as he left.

"I couldn't shoot him if I wanted to, this is actually the Star Labs vacuum cleaner. With a lot of LEDs," Cisco laughed as he turned back to the two Metahumans.

Tala sighed and pulled a dagger out from the holster on the small of her back. She flipped it around, and hit the ice encasing her leg with the hilt, feeling it shatter around her thigh. The sound brought the group's attention to her.

"Help Barry, I'm fine," She growled when Cisco ran over to her. She pinned him with a look and he backed up a few steps, nearly stumbling.

Tala tapped her way down the block of ice until she found a weak point and hit it again, nearly falling to the ground as the ice stopped supporting her weight around her broken ankle. Caitlin walked up to her, but stopped when Tala raised her hand. Tala pointed to the very cold looking Barry, and Caitlin took the hint that Tala needed space. Tala squared her shoulders and ground her teeth together as she tried to walk away without limping. Tala heard Barry thank Cisco as she walked toward Star Labs. As she walked, she pushed her powers to put out the fires around her. She turned and pulled each train car back into place on the tracks. She placed a hand on one that was severely dented and felt for the vibrations of the metal. She found them and pulled, groaning with the metal of the train car. There was a loud pop and when she opened her eyes, it was smooth as if it had just been manufactured again. She did the same for the others, fixing them as best as she could, and placing them back on the track.

She looked down at her ankle and saw that it was swollen in her boot. She was going to have to cut the shoe away in order to set it.

"These were my favorites too," Tala grumbled as she kept walking. She paused when she felt someone hovering at the edge of her bubble of awareness. "What do you want?" She asked, not turning.

"To help. You're hurt. Don't lie and say you're not. I can see the pain on your face, and in your body language." It was Cisco.

"I'm fine. Just cold," Tala said, moving away.

"You're lying to me. I can see the way you're holding your body, especially your leg and hand. There's blood on your arms. And you hate the cold." Cisco walked up to her and stepped in front of her, putting himself physically in her path. He looked her in the eyes before slowly reaching to push her blue hair out of her face, and taking her mask off. Tala tried to keep the stoic, painless look on her face, but she crumbled, falling onto Cisco's chest. He carefully scooped her up and carried her back to the Star Labs van. She cried silently into his jacket.

"I thought I lost you," She whispered in soft Spanish.

"Never going to happen," Cisco muttered, placing a kiss to her hair. Felicity drove them all back to Star Labs, where Barry and Caitlin carried the vacuum back down, and Felicity opened every door for Cisco who was carrying Tala, not having put her down yet. He placed her on the hospital bed and waited for Caitlin to come check her out. She was shivering, so Cisco removed his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

"We've been trying to track Snart, but he must've disconnected the signal somehow," Cisco said, moving over to the computers. Tala pulled the jacket around her tighter and watched him work.

"We'll find him Koneko. I promise," She said, shivering still.

"Together," Barry added. Caitlin came over and started running too many tests on her.

"You have a great team here Barry. Speaking of teams, I should probably get back to mine," Felicity said.

"It was nice meeting you Miss Smoak," Harrison said, "Please extend a hello to the Arrow from us."

"Tell him he needs to call me more, I hate reading the news to find out about what's going on. And if you see Ray, tell him I still want to punch him in his pretty teeth. Ouch Cait, that hurts!" She flinched as Caitlin cut her shoe off her foot.

"I will," Felicity said, smiling at everyone. She tossed a small vial to Tala who caught it deftly. "Use this. It doesn't affect your mind. Your brother uses it." Tala grinned ferally before reaching around Caitlin to steal an empty syringe. She filled the syringe with the entire bottle and stabbed herself in the calf, right above her swollen ankle, pushing the plunger. Tala moaned slightly and let herself fall back onto the bed.

"What did you give her?" Caitlin asked, whirling on the blonde.

"Lidocaine. Painkiller strong enough to make it stop hurting, without the side effect of a foggy mind." Tala sighed. Barry hugged Felicity goodbye and watched her walk away. Tala exchanged a look with Cisco, shaking her head.

"Remarkable young woman," Harrison commented, nodding after Felicity. "She's special."

"Yeah, she is." Barry agreed. Tala shook her head again, gritting her teeth as Caitlin took X-rays of her ankle. Caitlin walked away to check them in her office, and Barry walked out of the cortex.

"Cisco," Harrison said, turning to the mechanical engineer. "Don't you ever, do anything like that again, do you understand me?" Harrison grabbed Cisco's arm. Even from where she was sitting, she felt the vibrational energy spike.

"No. You don't get to say anything Doctor Wells. Cisco knows he's made a mistake, and we've cleaned it as best we could. Cisco is fine. It's all fine now. Leonard won't be a problem, and I've proven I can stop the worst effects of the gun. Cisco come here, I need your help." Harrison turned and gave Tala a curious look before rolling away.

"That was nearly scary," Cisco said, taking Tala's hand. She just hummed staring after the man.

"You're going to need a cast Tala. So you're going to need to get out of your skinny jeans, unless you want to wear them for the next six weeks."

"Six weeks?" Tala repeated, looking at Caitlin.

"The best I can do is an air cast, but you cannot under any circumstances put pressure on it. As it is, I should probably refer you to an orthopedic surgeon to put screws in your foot. If it doesn't show signs of healing within two weeks, that's what I'm going to do anyway." Tala groaned and fell back onto the bed. She quickly undid and started pulling off her jeans, needing Cisco and Caitlin's help to get the pant leg over her swollen ankle. "Keep it propped up as much as possible, and keep it wrapped with an ace bandage at the very least at all times. Cisco will have to carry you until you get crutches." Tala nodded and started wrapping her ankle with the provided bandage.

"Take out and movie night?" Cisco asked, scooping her up into his arms.

"Think we can get Indian delivered?" Tala questioned as they left the Cortex. Caitlin smiled at her friends; glad things had gone back to the way they were before this whole cold gun mess.

"I love Indian food!" Tala said as she shoved a mouthful of Na'an and spicy butter chicken in her mouth.

"You've eaten three servings. Where do you put it?" Cisco asked in amazement.

Tala swallowed and looked at him, "My thighs usually," She said, scooping up another bite.

"You keep eating like this and I won't be able to lift you anymore." Cisco said, pulling the plastic container away from the girl. Tala pouted, but let him, finishing off the na'an.

"Start working out then. You'll need the muscle when I start teaching you how to fight," Tala said, looking at her left hand and reinforced the brace there.

"You're going to teach me how to fight?" Cisco asked, pulling her onto his lap.

"Yes. You're going to have to know how to defend yourself, for my peace of mind. Captain Cold will come back. If not him, then some Meta, or some enemy of mine. I need you protected."

Cisco nodded as he stood and carried Tala up the stairs. He fell asleep holding her closely, sleeping on the opposite side of the bed so she could keep her foot propped up.

Tala laid awake, trying to puzzle out Harrison. Sure, Barry was important, but the way Harrison Wells obsessed over him, it felt like he needed Barry if he were going to stay alive. Harrison positively buzzed with energy, the same energy Barry had, but faster. She wanted so badly to accuse him of being a speedster too, but she had no proof. She needed to investigate Harrison Wells. From his birth until the accelerator explosion. She leaned her head on Cisco's shoulder, hoping she was mistaken and that she wasn't about to shatter his beliefs in his hero. Tala decided that she wouldn't tell him until she had proof, or a definite reason to believe Harrison was anything other than the man he said he was. She shifted to press a gentle kiss to Cisco's temple before going to sleep.


	7. 107 Plastique

"Okay, my turn Eddie Thawne! You are going down so hard," Tala cheered as she tossed back her sixth shot in the past two hours. She pushed herself up from the chair and hopped over to where Iris was holding the darts. Eddie had gotten one bull's-eye and two elsewhere on the board. Tala gently set her broken ankle on the ground, more to keep her balance than anything. Caitlin gave her a warning look.

"No pressure is on it. It's for balance. I have had a bit to drink. Hand me the darts." Eddie wrapped his arm around Iris and watched Tala line up her first shot. Bull's-eye.

"Good first shot. Can you match it?" He asked cockily. Tala smirked, turning to wink at Cisco. She threw her second and third dart, getting two more bull's-eyes. She cheered, laughing.

"Next round is on you. I'll have a double. Whiskey if you don't mind." Tala hopped over to the table where Cisco was sitting, watching them play.

"You are such a cheater," He accused, laughing at her. She giggled.

"Nope. He's had marksman training as a cop. I've had it as an assassin. It's not my fault assassins are held to a higher standard than the police." Cisco snorted, taking a sip of his beer.

"Are you having fun though?" Cisco asked, wrapping an arm around her waist. They never bothered to define what they were, but they didn't feel the need to. They were happy, especially when Tala would point out a ridiculously hot woman to check out.

"Well, my aversion to painkillers means that I can keep drinking you lot under the table." Tala said as she grinned and took a sip of the whiskey Eddie placed in front of her.

"For someone who doesn't like the mind fogging side effects of painkillers, you sure do like your alcohol," Caitlin chirped as she joined them at their table. She had a gin and tonic.

"Do you see me giggling over there like a college girl? I'm fine. Barely even tipsy." She grinned when Iris went up to her turn on the board. Barry came over with a tray full of shots.

"Guys, I have a problem," Barry announced as he came over.

"We all do when guys like him exist." Cisco pouted, glaring at Eddie.

"Yeah, he's so hot." Caitlin sighed. Tala snorted and looked at the boys. Caitlin turned back to them bright red. "Uh, I mean genetically speaking, because I'm a geneticist. Oh, my God, do I sound like Felicity?"

Tala and Cisco tried not to laugh at their friend and coworker. Barry just rolled his eyes.

"I am not talking about Eddie. I'm talking about this." He downed the seven drinks on his tray and looked at Caitlin and Tala. "I can't feel anything."

"Yeah, that's usually what happens when you drink too much," Cisco said, looking at Tala pointedly.

"No, the alcohol isn't affecting me at all," Barry protested, whining slightly. "I mean I literally feel nothing!"

"Your metabolism!" Tala laughed, "It burns through it too quickly for you to get a buzz."

"I need a sample!" Caitlin said, reaching for her purse. Tala passed her credit card to Cisco.

"I'll get more shots!" He grabbed the card and went to the bar.

"The good stuff this time! Nothing cheap," Tala called.

"I swear I had a vacutainer in here." Caitlin said, looking into her purse.

"Wait, you carry a blood collection kit?" Barry asked, concerned.

"You have your hobbies, I have mine," Caitlin said, still digging for the kit. Cisco came back with a tray of top shelf tequila shots. They looked at Barry intensely.

"Still nothing?" Cisco asked, surprised. That shot made him a little buzzy.

"I can't get drunk," Barry pouted. "I mean, I'm only twenty five and my drinking days are already over."

"Come on Allen, you're up," Eddie said, walking over. Eddie stopped when his phone went off. Tala grabbed her phone out of her pocket when it went off too. She pulled open satellite feed of an explosion. She turned it to Barry.

"There was an explosion on Eighth and Pass," She whispered. "Go."

Eddie ditched out, claiming work, Iris left, which confused Tala and the others from Star Labs. Tala shrugged and stayed, knowing they could help from the bar. Tala patched the comms through on Cisco's phone.

"Guys, there's a window washer, he's gonna fall," Barry said, worried.

"Well, don't try to catch him, you don't have super strength," Cisco sassed, making Tala laugh into her tequila shot.

"Well, is there a mattress store nearby? What if I got a bunch of mattresses and stacked them up?" Barry suggested.

"Stop watching cartoons Barry. This isn't roadrunner," Tala responded, giving the phone a dirty look.

"How fast would I need to go to run up a building?" Barry asked. Tala's eyes widened and she looked to the ceiling for divine intervention.

"How far up do you need to go?" Cisco asked, starting the calculations. Tala pulled a pen out of her pocket and a napkin from the table and set them in front of him.

"I dunno, fifty meters give or take?" Barry said, unsure. "Guys, hurry!"

"Just run as fast as you can, but you have to maintain velocity on the way down or..." Tala hesitated, looking at Caitlin.

"Or?" Barry asked.

"Splat," The girls said, looking at each other. Cisco looked up from his calculations and nodded his agreement.

"Great, alright, here goes." Barry psyched himself up and took off running. Caitlin, Cisco and Tala packed up and headed back to Star Labs, Tala abusing her status as a billionaire and hiring a driver for the night.

"Too drunk to drive, sober enough to save the world," She laughed as they piled into the spacious limo. Cisco gawked at it while Caitlin just raised her eyebrows. Tala rummaged around until she found the bottle of champagne. She sent a grin to Cisco before setting it next to Caitlin's purse.

"Do you usually use a limo?" Caitlin asked, looking around.

"Allah, no. It's too much for everyday. But since I'm broken, I'm going to be having Cody there drive me to and from meetings unless Cisco wants to moonlight as my PA." Tala looked at him. "He'd have to wear a suit though. And put his hair up."

"I can't picture it," Caitlin said, shaking her head.

"Me either." Tala said. The girls started laughing at Cisco. Every time they thought they had themselves under control, they would look at Cisco and start laughing again. He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's not funny!" He said. Tala sobered and lowered herself to her knees in front of him

"I'm so sorry for making fun of you Francisco. Will you ever forgive me?" Tala looked up at him through her eyelashes and knew she won as his cheeks turned red. She pulled herself up onto his seat before moving herself to his lap. Cisco's arms automatically circled her waist.

They got to Star Labs, but knowing they wouldn't be doing anything for the rest of the night, Tala had Cody take Caitlin home, telling him to pick her up and bring her there in the morning. Tala let Cisco carry her down to her workout room, where they relaxed on her sparring mats, staring at the ceiling.

"I like nights like this. Where we all go out as friends. I didn't get much of that in Starling. Or in the League. I really like living here," Tala said, resting her head on Cisco's chest.

"We should go do something you've never done. Give you a new experience." Cisco said, his hand idly playing with her long hair.

"I've never been to an amusement park," She said.

"Really? So you've never been on a roller coaster?" Cisco asked, sitting up slightly to look at her. She shrugged and sat up.

"My caretakers saw it as too indignant. So they never let me go," Tala said, shrugging.

"That sounds so dull!" Cisco said, pulling a face. Tala laughed and snuggled back into him, pulling a blanket over them. She quickly drifted off to sleep.

Tala woke early; groaning when she realized the CCPD alarm was going off. She went to stand, before remembering she couldn't stand on it or Cait would kill her. She huffed and hopped over to the lone computer and started typing. Security camera feed showed CCPD as Joe and Eddie walked in.

"Eiling," She hissed, glaring at the computer. He was worse than Shrieve from a few years ago, and Tala hoped he went the same way. Missing with no idea where to start looking. Cisco rolled over and he started waking.

"It's cold, where'd you go?" He mumbled, reaching for her.

"To check the stupid alarm. If this thing could give me one day of good news, I'd be happier."

"What's wrong?" Cisco asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He stood and walked over to where she was sitting.

"General Eiling. I've had dealings with him in the past. He's a bastard who believes that the end justifies the means. He will do anything to make the United States Army better, stronger, faster; including experiments on humans and animals. He tried to recruit me when I first joined special ops, but I turned him down when I saw what he had in mind. Telepathy for better interrogation? Hmpf. I can just as easily get the answers I want, but even I'm more humane than Eiling," She groaned and rolled her neck, wincing when it popped loudly. She pressed around her spine, making sure she hadn't accidentally damaged something. "Let's find something to eat around here and get some coffee - I'm going to need it if I need to deal with him."

Tala smiled, but frowned when Cisco walked away, still half asleep. She made a noise of protest.

"Right, sorry, I forgot." Cisco laughed before turning around and scooping Tala up, carrying her up to the cortex, where she was placed in her usual chair before Cisco wandered off in search of clothes and breakfast. Caitlin came in a few minutes later, carrying Jitters, followed by Cody who brought a stack of paperwork and a duffle of clothing.

"Thank you, Cody. And you, Caitlin. Could you summon Cisco? Tell him I have clothes and coffee." Cody nodded and left, going back to the car. Caitlin smiled at Tala before pressing the intercom button.

"Cisco, I need your help in the cortex. Tala's fallen and I can't get her onto the bed," Caitlin said. Tala looked at her with openmouthed shock. Caitlin shrugged.

"I'm assuming he's half asleep. That should wake him up." The girls heard Cisco running into the Cortex. When he rounded the corner he had a panicked expression on his face. Caitlin started laughing.

"Blame her. It wasn't me," Tala said.

"Are you okay? Why did you try to move?" Cisco asked, moving to check Tala over. She batted his hands away.

"I haven't twitched. Caitlin and Cody brought clothes and coffee. I asked Cait to get you up here. She was the one who pulled the prank." Cisco looked at Caitlin.

"That's just rude. Don't play me like that," Cisco said, taking his coffee. He pulled his clothes out of the duffle and turned to go change. Tala watched him leave with a small smile on her face.

"You two really are adorable." Cait said, making Tala smile. "Need my help changing?"

"Yes please. My wrist is nearly healed I think, but despite being an assassin, I have no balance." Tala said miserably, grabbing the duffle and rolling herself into the med bay, where Caitlin helped her into the sweatpants Cody brought her. After pulling on her tank, Tala tied her hair up in a messy bun, the blue sticking out randomly.

Barry sped into the Cortex, sending Tala and her chair spinning in circles. She blinked at him.

"Next time you send me on a merry go round, you better bring me coffee," She said, looking up at him. "What'd you bring us wonder boy?"

"A VA folder," Barry said, pulling a face.

"A VA file number is all the info you have on the bomber?" Cisco asked incredulously.

"CCPDs been ordered off the case," Barry explained.

"Yeah, what's Eiling's connection to this? I can't imagine he'd be interested in a civilian bombing," Tala said, looking at the computer screen.

"Joe said that he was told the bomber is one of theirs," Barry said, shrugging.

"General Wade Eiling," Harrison said as he wheeled in. Tala looked over at him, wondering how he knew Eiling.

"You know him?" Barry and Tala asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, I know him," Harrison said. "About five years ago, Eiling contracted Star Labs to develop enhanced gene therapies for soldiers. I was more interested in the medical benefits for civilians."

"General Eiling wanted to develop mind reading capabilities for better interrogation. He tried to recruit me. Not as an engineer, no he wanted me to be a test subject – it was probably why he came here," Tala said, rubbing her arm as though feeling a puncture wound.

"I ended the study when I saw his techniques, but the split was less than amicable," Harrison said, nodding to Tala. She made a face.

"He tested on animals and soldiers. Claimed we were an elite task force. Instead we were pincushions. I spent a month under his care before I called in a favor and got him shut down. I was sent to Kandahar a week later. It wasn't a fun introduction to the Army." Cisco wrapped his arms around her shoulders, steering her away from the conversation and back to the computer.

"He took all the evidence I collected on the bombing," Barry said, passing a folder to Harrison. "Everything but the folder."

"Well, lucky for us, the VA just joined the new millennium and digitized their records," Cisco cheered as Tala started hacking into it, looking for a specific file number.

"Wow that's a lot of redaction. Not even my file is this black. Our girl's name is Bette Sans Souci, an EOD specialist for the army," Tala said, spinning to face the group.

"EOD?" Caitlin asked.

"Bombs," Cisco explained.

"Is there an address?" Barry asked, looking over Tala's head.

"One person, in case of emergency, Cameron Scott, Anglewood." Cisco pulled up the information. Barry sped off.

"Anglewood's a nice area," Tala commented after he left.

Two minutes later, Barry's telemetry went silent.

"Barry? Barry can you hear me?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala with wide eyes. She moved in front of her microphone.

"Sarie? Sarie are you there? Allah help us, Bartholomew Henry Allen!" Tala shouted, as Barry sped into the cortex and was changed in a spare set of workout clothes.

"Uh?" Caitlin managed, looking at him.

"Don't ask. And full name, really?" He said, smoothing out his hair.

"I'm gonna ask," Cisco said, looking from Barry to the mannequin that usually held the suit. "Where's my suit?"

"It's gone." Barry said, avoiding looking at Cisco. Tala wished she had a bowl of popcorn.

"What do you mean it's gone? What did you do with my suit?" Cisco said, his voice dangerous.

"It blew up, dude," Barry said, looking at him. Tala felt her jaw fall open as Cisco's eyebrows rose. "I managed to get out of it before it went kaboom."

"My suit, went, kaboom?" Cisco asked, staring at Barry. Tala fought to keep a straight face.

"Fun fact about Bette Sans Souci: she's not carrying bombs! She touched the emblem on the suit and turned it into a bomb," Barry explained. "She's a metahuman."

"With an ability to cause spontaneous combustion upon tactile contact," Harrison said as he wheeled himself in.

"No wonder Eiling took over. He wants Sans Souci as a weapon," Tala said.

"She blew up my suit!" Cisco protested, making Tala laugh.

"You have like three more, Koneko," Tala said, reaching over to take his hand.

"I have two, and I loved that one!" Cisco said, looking over at the empty mannequin with sadness in his eyes.

"All right, what else do we know about her?" Barry asked, trying to push the conversation back on track.

"Oh, I don't know, she's pure evil?" Cisco asked, moving to do some research on her. "We're gonna find this girl and send her butt to the pipeline. No one blows my tech to smithereens and get's away with it!" Cisco declared as he pulled up a file on her. "Unless she looks like that."

Caitlin raised her eyebrow at Cisco's unfiltered commentary on her looks in front of Tala. The assassin in question rolled her chair over and looked at the screen.

"Holy damn she's hot," Caitlin looked at Tala in shock. "What? You look at her and tell me she's not beautiful!"

"I don't think she meant to hurt me," Barry said, looking at Caitlin.

"And her being a metahuman explains General Eiling's interest in her." Harrison said as Joe entered the cortex.

"And why he stole the case from us," Joe said, walking in and passing a cup of hot coffee to Tala who beamed at him. "He didn't want anyone knowing what she could do."

"Detective," Harrison said in greeting. Tala felt his energy change, it felt more guarded, she frowned.

"Doctor. So, human bomb?" Joe asked, "Must be Tuesday in Central City." Tala scoffed.

"Yeah, and Eiling isn't one to give up a potential asset without a fight," Tala said, glaring at the cup in her hands, pretending it was the General.

"We have to find her before he does," Barry said, to which Harrison and Tala nodded.

"Barry, can I see you for a second?" Joe asked, gesturing to the door. Barry nodded and followed him.

"What are we going to do about dinner tonight Cisco?" Tala asked, leaning on him. "Cisco?" She looked and saw him staring at Bette's military picture. She laughed at him. "Francisco!" She shouted, making him jump.

"What?" He asked, defensively.

"I understand she's very beautiful. I will hit on her if you don't. But Barry needs a new suit, and we need to figure out if we're getting takeout again. I'm hungry."

"I swear, you're worse than Barry. Why can't you send Cody to get us all food?" Cisco asked, standing and pushing Tala's chair to his workshop.

"Because he's my driver, not my PA. I could potentially ask Kyle, but that would involve him coming here, and he isn't sworn to secrecy like Cody."

"Hey, why does Joe always bring you coffee when he comes here?" Cisco asked, looking for something.

"Probably because when Barry first introduced me to him, he called me a coffee-obsessed-assassin. You always pay tribute to the Goddesses you don't want upset with you. Or maybe he's just nice. I don't know why the man does what he does. I'm just glad that he does."

"Tala's piggybacked onto Eiling's surveillance. According to what they're saying, the lovely Miss Sans Souci was just spotted in Anglewood," Cisco said as he called Barry. Tala poked at the computer screen with her chopsticks, glaring at General Eiling.

"It's the same neighborhood as Doctor Harold Hadley's office. He's the military surgeon that performed several procedures on her," Caitlin explained, looking up from her tablet. "That's why she was looking for the folder."

"You've gotta get to her before Eiling does," Cisco said, butting back into the conversation. Barry ended the call and most likely ran off. Tala stabbed her chopsticks in her box of General Tso's, and looked curiously at Cisco and Caitlin.

"If she's looking for her doctor, I don't think she understands what exactly is wrong with her. Bette might think her powers are the result of some experimental surgery. I think she's trying to get them reversed," Tala said, hoping she was wrong. Cisco shrugged, not knowing what they could do about it. They waited; knowing Barry and Bette would be there soon enough.

"As the detonation went through Central City, a number of people were exposed to a wave of unquantifiable energy. One of those people was you," Harrison explained to Bette as she and Barry returned. "You were in Central City ten months ago. As was Mister Allen, and Miss Merlyn here."

"Barry as you've seen was given super speed, I have varying control over matter and vibrational energy. I'm still trying to work out why people gained different abilities. So far my best bet is something to do with their circumstances at the time of the explosion." Tala explained, calling up her control of her blue matter to create a set of crutches, which she used to hobble over to stand near Bette. "Also, it's good to meet you Sergeant Sans Souci. Lieutenant Merlyn, hundred and fifth airborne out of Kandahar." Tala leaned over and handed Bette a pair of gloves Caitlin and her had made to counteract her explosive powers. Bette smiled at her.

"It's good to see another soldier. I had just returned from Afghanistan, I was there defusing roadside bombs and shrapnel ripped through me. I was flown back stateside, spent months at the base recuperating. And next thing I know, I became the thing that almost killed me. And Eiling's new favorite lab rat," Bette sounded bitter, not that Tala blamed her.

"The dark matter must have combined with the bomb particulate in your body," Caitlin said, glancing over at Tala, who nodded.

"I thought Eiling did this to me?" Bette asked, looking at Tala.

"Eiling wishes he could create Metahumans. People like you and me. You were just unfortunate enough to come into your powers around him. We can help you, Sergeant," Tala said, setting her hand on Bette's, smiling gently.

"Call me Bette, please, Tala." Tala grinned, and shot a wink at Cisco. "Do you know of any others that were changed?"

"There have been a few," Caitlin said, nodding.

"But none that look like you," Cisco said, making Tala close her eyes and shake her head. Barry covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate," Cisco chuckled uncomfortably, shifting in his seat. "Please don't leave."

Caitlin leaned forward, glaring at him, "I know how to perform a lobotomy," She hissed. Cisco sent Tala a look begging for help before looking at Caitlin with a confused and scared expression. Tala muttered an apology to Bette.

"Harrison and Cait are going to run a few bio tests if that's alright? I'm going to set a few other things up," Tala said, looking at the other soldier in the room. "Will you be alright with that?" Bette nodded.

Tala hobbled off, smiling at Bette. Caitlin stood and led her to the med bay. Tala got herself to the research van in the garage and pushed her powers to gather things she would need. A few Frisbee disks, medical sensors, and three fire extinguishers, just in case. She then pulled out her phone and made two separate calls. One to the fire department, alerting them to the fact that Merlyn Industries was going to be doing some work on a few volatile substances at Harris Air and that they shouldn't be alarmed if something or several things exploded. Then she called Harris Air and asked if she could use a spare runway for the rest of the day. She grinned when she got approval and headed back up to the Cortex, right as Caitlin dug something out of Bette's arm.

"That's a tracker. Sorry Doc, I'm going to have to disobey orders. I'm not showing Eiling any weakness," Tala pushed away her crutches and pulled energy to her, changing her sweatpants into Army fatigues. She stood evenly on the ground in combat boots and took up a position near Bette. Cisco looked at her, wondering where and when she learned that trick. And if she had any weapons on her.

"Cisco, lock down the pipeline, key it to Tala only. Caitlin, Barry, get Bette out of here. Tala and I will deal with Eiling," Harrison said, taking charge.

"Take her to Harris Air. Find my jet, that runway is ours for the day. We will meet you there. Bette, trust them. They will help you," Tala said, taking Bette's hand briefly.

"Harrison Wells. And Lieutenant Merlyn. How the mighty have fallen," Eiling growled as him and his men made it to the cortex.

Tala growled at the General, glaring at him from her position flanking Harrison.

"Star Labs, this place used to be so important. Tell me, what does one do after such a spectacular public failure?" Eiling asked, causing Tala to narrow her eyes. The energy she always felt around Harrison spiked, and felt angry.

"Get bought out by my company. This building will soon become Merlyn Industries Applied Science Division, headed by Harrison Wells," Tala said, standing up straighter.

"Always the idealist," Eiling scoffed.

"What do you want Wade?" Harrison asked as he saw Tala inching toward where she kept her dagger.

"Where's my asset?" The General demanded.

"Unless you're coming after me again, we have no idea what you're talking about," Tala snarled, baring her teeth slightly.

"We tracked her here. Turn her over to me before you see the rest of your precious palace crumble."

"Is that a threat General, Sir? Because even the Army is no use against me and my money. You heard, I'm sure, how my father got me out of my contract months early, because he wanted to? And I'm sure you're aware that I still hold full honors, meaning it never affected my record. So you know the power I wield."

"We could've changed the world you and I," Wade left as a parting remark. Neither of them knew which he was referring to, and neither cared.

"After they leave, I'll have Cody take us to Cisco. Quick question, where does Caitlin keep the Lidocaine?" Tala sank to the floor, holding her ankle as she lost focus on her powers and let the fatigues fall away back into her sweats. Harrison wheeled himself over to the med bay and grabbed a syringe and a bottle, handing it to Tala. She injected herself and stood, balancing on her left leg. She adjusted her jacket before waving her hand to make some crutches. Her and Harrison left the cortex and went to the garage, having Cody load Harrison's wheelchair into the trunk before driving the two of them to Harris Air.

"So what happened?" Cisco asked as they got out of the car. He grabbed Tala and carried her over to where they'd set up, leaving Cody to get Harrison's chair.

"Eiling is a dick. That's what happened. But he left. I gave myself Lidocaine. Cait, sorry. It was necessary," Tala apologized to her doctor. Bette looked her in the eyes and saw the slight pain, and the light haze of painkillers. She smiled at the Lieutenant in thanks. "Lets see what you can do then, shall we?"

Cisco set Tala in a chair before moving to start monitoring Bette. Bette Sans Souci grabbed a Frisbee and tossed it, letting it explode. Tala let out a low whistle.

"Four hundred twenty seven KPAs. Her Trauzl rating is somewhere around forty-five. That's the same as any Plastique," Cisco said before looking at Tala.

"Plastique!" They cheered, high fiving.

"First try!" Cisco cheered. Caitlin held up a boomerang, looking questioningly at Tala and Cisco. Tala shook her head and pointed at Cisco.

"Didn't think this one through, did you?" Cisco made a face before shrugging. Barry walked off with Bette, trying to calm her nerves or reassure her. Tala squinted when Barry got a phone call and hobbled her way over to him, with Cisco following her. Bette went over to talk with Caitlin.

"Is everything okay, Barry?" Tala asked, leaning against the speedster for balance.

"Iris posted another story about the streak. Except she posted her name to it." Barry ran his hand through his hair, and Tala made a sympathetic sound.

"Oh, that is not good." Cisco said, "If one of these bad Metahumans we're dealing with figures she knows something..."

"She's a target. I know," Barry said, sighing as he waved them away. Tala went back to Bette.

"You're welcome to stay with me and Cisco for the night. We have room, one of them can even suppress your powers." Tala said, leaning on the table.

"How did you manage that?" Caitlin asked, surprised.

"I can feel vibrational energy. All vibrational energy. I needed a place to relax, so I screwed around with different dampeners that might work on Metahumans. It's that combined with the same technology we used to keep Nimbus in his cell. Barry can't speed around in it, I can't feel everything, and Bette shouldn't be able to blow anything up. You interested? Cait, you can come over for dinner. I want something that isn't takeout. Emma already started a lasagna, it should be ready by the time we get there." Tala held her hand out for Bette, who took it tentatively. She looked surprised when she didn't explode. Tala grinned. "My powers protect me. You won't ever be able to hurt me."

"Thank you," Bette said, smiling softly.

Barry and Harrison returned the van to Star Labs while the other four went to Cisco and Tala's house, Bette insisting on being the one to carry Tala in, happy she found someone she couldn't affect. Tala made sure to coat everything in the house in her blue matter, leaving Bette smiling throughout dinner.

"So how do you all know each other?" Bette asked, serving herself another plate of the lasagna dish.

"Cisco and Cait worked together at Star Labs. I was in town for the Particle Accelerator, since I funded most of it. When it exploded I was injured and knocked into a coma. Really put a damper on my day job," Tala said, taking a drink.

"Being a vigilante in Starling City, she means." Cisco elaborated. Bette looked at her in surprise, causing Tala to shrug.

"I'm really good at hitting things. But when I was in the coma, Caitlin and Cisco took care of me. I felt at home here, so I stayed. When Barry woke up, he wanted to help people, and I'm good at that. Well, I was. Metas are a bit outside my wheelhouse. I've gotten beat up a lot, but that's fine. I've found a really good thing here." Tala raised her glass, causing everyone to follow her. "To us, and whatever insanity that may happen, may it also bring happiness, friends and family."

Tala had Cody drive Caitlin home after dinner, leaving the three of them alone in front of the TV.

"I think I'm going to go ahead and get some sleep. Thank you, so much, for everything Tala. This means more to me than you can imagine."

"I can understand. Sleep, we'll be here if you need us. The dampened room is just down that hall. We're upstairs straight back. If you need anything, don't hesitate."

"Oh, you two are together? I didn't realize," Bette said, suddenly unsure.

"Don't worry. There's no label, no definition to it. We just do what feels right. Did you want one of us to stay with you? You had that look, I had it when I first woke up from my coma." Bette flushed and nodded. Tala exchanged a look with Cisco and rose, pulling up a set of crutches. She stood and kissed Cisco on the cheek before following Bette back. She entered the room on her crutches before falling over. Bette caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Powers don't work in here. I'm stupid. Thank you for catching me," Tala said, hopping on one foot over to the shower. She turned and waved for Bette to join her.

Tala washed Bette's hair, letting the Metahuman lean against her as Tala leaned against the wall. Tala pulled two sleep shirts out of the drawer and passed one to Bette after they dried off.

"I really do thank you for doing this. You had no obligation to take me in," Bette said as she sat on the bed next to Tala.

"I had every obligation to take you in. You needed help. You were affected by the explosion same as me and Barry. You have the unfortunate issue of having Eiling after you and I would do anything to protect people from him. And you're a soldier. I will always help my fellow soldiers. Get some sleep honey. Things always look better in the morning."

Tala and Bette rose before Cisco, and headed to the kitchen for breakfast and coffee. Tala made sure everything was protected from Bette's abilities as soon as they left the bedroom. Tala perched on the counter near the stove and started whipping up biscuits and gravy, a recipe she was taught one year when she lived in Atlanta, in seventh grade. Flaky biscuits and spicy sausage gravy made the perfect breakfast. Cisco came down and stood in front of Tala, grinning at her with a twinkle in his eyes. She wrapped her legs around his waist, forcing him to pick her up and carry her. Cisco dropped her on a chair next to Bette.

"Two beautiful girls wearing my shirts. I think I died," He said as he brought the food to the table. Bette and Tala exchanged grins, Tala looking at Cisco lecherously. Tala was daydreaming about the various things she wanted to do and with Bette and Cisco. They all quickly ate before getting dressed and having Cody drive them to Star Labs. Bette settled in for another round of Biotesting with Caitlin while Tala started compiling her Metafile. She titled it Plastique, making Bette and Cisco smile.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Barry asked as he walked it, making Tala look up from her typing. She noticed that even Bette looked sad. "Did Eiling find out you're here?"

"No. Caitlin was about to give me the not-so-good news," Bette said, looking sadly at Cait.

"The shrapnel in your body has merged with you on a cellular level." Tala covered her mouth with her hand understanding exactly what that meant.

"The technology required to unsplice your DNA, hasn't been invented yet," Harrison said gently, making Bette sigh. She had tears in her eyes, and Tala reached for her hand.

"Bette..." Barry tried.

"It's okay. Roger that, I... I just need a minute. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I can cry without blowing stuff up." Bette left the room. Tala stood, making crutches as she did. Cisco wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Now what?" He asked, looking around at everyone.

"My powers can neutralize hers. She can join the team, help us. She can learn to control her powers like I did," Tala said forcefully, staring everyone down.

"Tala, you and Barry have the amazing ability to help people. She makes things explode," Caitlin said gently, looking remorseful.

"She's the first Metahuman outside of us, that's not hell-bent on destroying the city," Barry said.

"It's too dangerous," Harrison said, making Tala growl like the wolf that was her namesake. Cisco felt the air around her move, like a shockwave responding to her anger.

"She's not going in the pipeline!" Tala and Barry both said, her voice a deadly growl that promised death to anyone who disagreed with her.

"I'm not suggesting she go in the pipeline. But were she to remain at Star Labs, it would put us all at risk." Harrison said.

"Bullshit. This is the safest place for Bette! I can stop her from blowing things up! I can coat things, people in my powers and she can't blow them up. Ask Cait, ask Cisco! They were at dinner with me and Bette last night and there were no explosions, no fear of them either. The safest place for Bette is next to me." Tala's voice shook with rage. Cisco pulled her against him, holding her close and forcing her to calm down or risk hurting him.

"No, from Eiling. He is a dangerous man. We do not want him as an enemy," Harrison said softly. Tala pulled away from Cisco and sent him a filthy look.

"I can handle Eiling. Hell, if I wanted it, I could easily have him killed. Or kill him myself."

"We are not murderers!" Harrison said, looking at her.

"I am," Tala declared, staring at him.

"After the lightning bolt, what if you hadn't found me?" Barry asked, forcing Harrison to look at him, and allowing Cisco to get Tala to back down. "It could've been me, hunted, on the run, cut off from everyone I know and care about. You guys saved me."

"And I wanna save her just as bad as you do, Barry. We all do," Caitlin said, keeping a calm head. Tala sighed, sinking to the ground with her head in her hands. Harrison wheeled to his office, hopefully thinking up a plan as to what to do with Bette. Caitlin and Cisco went to work on their own individual projects. After a few minutes of sulking, Tala got up and hobbled her way down to her makeshift gym. Bette was in there, wearing her bombproof gloves, pulling herself up on the salmon ladder. Tala let out a gentle whistle of appreciation.

"Here to make sure I don't expose you all to Eiling? Or to make sure I don't explode?" Bette asked bitterly.

"Everything in this room is safe from your powers. I promise you the only explosions you'll have to worry about will come from my temper. I came to apologize to you Bette. I said that we can help you, and I feel like I've broken that promise." Tala jumped and pulled herself up on a high bar, balancing on it easily.

"It's not your fault. I thought I could be fixed," Bette shrugged bitterly.

"You're not broken!" Tala growled, the air around her shaking. "Don't talk like you are. You are a beautiful woman with an amazing heart and an even prettier smile. Trust me, if I weren't as attached to Cisco as I am, I'd be following you around like an overeager puppy. Cisco practically is. We will set you up with a house somewhere, anywhere in the world that you want to go. Everything in the house will be coated in dampeners like that room. Cait and I will make you a wardrobe of clothes you can't blow up. We might not be able to remove the ability, but we will suppress it as best we can. You are the first Metahuman not from Star Labs that is good. I don't want you hurting Bette. I want you smiling," Tala pushed herself down from the bar, landing on her good leg. "Take it from someone who spent five years with the world thinking they were dead - happiness is the best thing in the world. Now I have to go, Cait is making me see a surgeon to get a screw put in my ankle, and my appointment is in an hour. If you need me or Cisco call one of us. The key to the house is in the top left drawer of that desk. Cody will take you wherever you need to go, no questions asked. We might swing by the labs later though. Bye, Bette."

Tala kissed the human bomb's cheek and hobbled back up to the cortex, letting Cisco pick her up and carry her to a Star Labs van. She rolled her eyes as they prepped her for surgery.

"Miss Merlyn, your physician, Doctor Snow has informed us you have an aversion to morphine. Would you care to elaborate?" The surgeon asked as he entered the room.

"Yeah, I don't like anything that makes my mind foggy. If I really need painkillers, I use Lidocaine. And even then, I don't use it often, if at all."

"We can't operate on you with Lidocaine in your system. It's too much of a blood thinner," He explained. Cisco took a breath and rubbed his hand over his eyes, having a bad feeling about where this conversation was going to lead. He looked up to the ceiling, hoping for a miracle.

"Then just throw me under the knife without the anesthetic. I'll survive a bit of pain. I'm sure you heard I was shipwrecked for five years - I can handle pain," Tala said, looking at her bare foot, still swollen.

"That isn't really standard procedure," The doctor said.

"Obviously!" Tala cut him off, looking exasperated. "I'll sign any number of papers, just get started, I do have things that need done today, and sitting around with a foggy mind isn't one of them. I can handle the pain."

The surgeon looked at the nurse and nodded, moving to finish the surgery prep. Cisco moved, pulling the scrubs the nurse gave him on over his clothes.

"You are not going in there for a surgery without me - especially with your current stupidity."

Tala flashed him a smile. The nurse came and wheeled her into the room where Tala quickly made herself comfortable laying back on a stack of pillows. Her leg was quickly immobilized and secured. Tala turned to Cisco as the first incision was made.

"I've never wanted surgery. Though my dad did suggest Botox once." Cisco stared at her, his mouth agape. "I told him that if I wanted to look young forever I'd swim in the Lazarus Pit. He laughed at me."

"How are you so calm? They are literally screwing your bones together." Cisco asked, slipping into Spanish to give their conversation some privacy.

"Love, I've taken swords, spears, and arrows to various parts of my body, survived standing on top of a bomb as it went off, had my entire leg encased in ice, survived a particle accelerator explosion, and walked away after having three vertebrae shattered. I think I can handle someone putting a titanium screw in my joint. I'm just annoyed I'll have to go through the rebranding ceremony on crutches," Tala said, rolling her eyes. Cisco took her hand, smiling at her.

"You'll be fine. I'm actually excited to go to that. You'll have to show me some of your haunts in Starling."

"Oh! I can show you where I used to hang my hood. I'm sure Ollie would love that. Though I dunno why he'd care - you already know who he is." Tala said, shrugging.

"I forget that I know who he is. I'm just glad he hasn't killed me yet." Cisco said. They settled in for the rest of the surgery, occasionally making notes about what to do about Tala's suit.

Tala was sitting on her couch when she got a sudden sense of foreboding. She frowned, trying to place it.

"Bette told me she was going to stay at the Labs tonight. Stop frowning," Cisco called from the kitchen. He padded in with a bowl of popcorn and a box of junior mints for Tala. She turned on the TV, not paying attention as the _Big Bang Theory_ came on.

"I just want to take care of her. In the army, soldiers often refer to themselves as sheepdogs. Happy and normal until someone attacks our flock. I've long considered myself a wolf, finding a connection with my name long ago. Bette, you, Cait, Harrison, Barry, Iris, Joe, Felicity and my team back in Starling, they're my flock. I'm going to worry about all of you. Especially her since she's so lost right now. But don't worry Koneko - she'll never take your place."

"Let's go to bed. It's been a long day - especially with your surgery." Cisco said, ignoring the fresh popped popcorn. He scooped Tala up and carried her up to their bed, gently laying her down.

When they got to the labs, Cisco was carrying an extra coffee for Bette - caramel. They couldn't find her. Caitlin came in a few minutes later.

"Morning, Cait. Have you seen Bette?" Tala asked from her spot on her chair.

"I thought she went home with you two? I know she left last night, she passed me in the garage," Caitlin said.

"I'll call Cody. He'll tell me." Tala pulled out her phone and quickly called her driver.

"Cody, did you take Bette somewhere last night? No... But Caitlin said she saw her leave... Alright, thanks." Tala ended the call. "Cody offered to drive her, but Bette turned him down, saying there was something she needed to do. She might have gone to visit that Cameron guy. In Anglewood."

Barry walked in.

"Where's Bette?"

"She left," Cisco said, looking slightly bummed by it.

"Where'd she go?" Barry asked.

"She didn't say anything to me," Harrison said as he wheeled himself in from the med bay.

"Well, where the hell could she be?" Barry asked, looking at Tala.

"She… sheepdog. Oh shit. Cisco, see if you can't hack into Eiling's anything. She's a sheepdog too."

"Sheepdog?" Caitlin asked, looking at Tala. Tala felt Harrison's energy spike, but she ignored it.

"Soldiers like her and I, we call ourselves sheepdogs. Happy and normal until someone attacks our flock. I told Cisco this last night when he called me out for worrying. Eiling has been attacking mine and Bette's flock. I'd bet my company she went after him in an attempt to kill him," Tala explained, standing on her one good leg, moving to lean over Cisco's shoulder.

"I got back into the military feed. Looks like they've gone to the waterfront to rendezvous with Bette. She's turning herself in," Cisco said, looking at the information on the computer.

"No she isn't. That's what she told Eiling to get him there," Tala said, looking at Barry. "Stop her." He sped off.

"Please let him get there in time," Cisco prayed, looking at Tala.

"We have a problem," Barry's voice came over the comms.

"Is Bette okay?" Tala and Cisco asked instantly.

"No, Eiling killed her." Tala gasped, clutching her chest. When she closed her eyes she saw Sara, and Bette. Two lives lost because of her. She felt Cisco grip her hand tightly, and she opened her eyes. "She's glowing. She's going to detonate."

"Oh God," Caitlin said. "A mass that size, the explosion would be..."

"Devastating," Harrison finished. Tala and Cisco couldn't speak for grief.

"Barry, you have to get her away from the city," Caitlin coached.

"But there's no time!" Barry yelled, "Can I run on water? I built up enough speed to run up a building. How fast do I need to go to run on water?" Cisco jumped into action, grabbing a pencil and Tala's legal pad.

"Assuming your weight - four hundred fifty pounds of force per step for vertical suspension - accounting for fluid drag."

"About six hundred fifty miles an hour," Tala croaked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You have to outrun the blast or you'll die too," Cisco said. He pulled Tala onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist, letting her cry on his shoulder. He, Caitlin, and Harrison watched Barry's GPS signal run out onto the water. Tala turned around just as Barry dropped Bette into the water and ran back to the City. She stood, making sure not to place any weight on her right leg, and stood at attention. Tala gently raised her right arm to salute the satellite feed trained on where Bette had been dropped. She saw the explosion and let the tears roll down her cheeks, unheeded. Next to her, Cisco felt a tear roll down his cheek too.

Barry came back quickly, and Caitlin turned on the news. They watched as General Eiling covered it up as a military weapons test.

"He murdered Bette right in front of me, and there's nothing we can do to him?" Barry asked, looking at Tala, whose eyes were still pink. Cisco was sitting quietly, downcast.

"Powerful men have a way of avoiding consequences. And we don't have a body as proof," Tala whispered, placing her hand on Cisco's shoulder.

"You gonna be okay?" Cait asked Barry.

"Yeah."

"You can walk on water. Puts you in pretty interesting company," Cait said, trying to cheer Barry up a little bit. He left, a soft mile on his face. Harrison nodded once and went off to his office. Tala sat down next to Cisco and took his hands.

"She didn't deserve that," He whispered.

"No, she didn't. Bette Sans Souci deserved the world, just like Sara did." Cisco looked at her, seeing the pain he felt reflected and magnified in her eyes. "But I have comfort, knowing they are in Allah's arms now. And who knows, maybe Sara and Bette are in heaven, sharing a drink with each other. Sara is telling Bette all my dirty little secrets, and Bette is telling Sara about how much I adore you."

They sat there in silence for a while, thinking about the one night they had with Bette, before they both moved to go to Cisco's workshop, to finish Tala's suit. It was finally all in one piece, and looked a lot like a mix between Sara's black canary suit, and Barry's flash suit. Tala thought, looking over the suit, and pushed with her powers, creating a pair of black leather boots, with a small heel. She concentrated until she felt them become real. Tala panted slightly, having felt the exertion.

"For Sara and Bette," She said, placing them down on the ground by her suit. She looked at it, seeing the silver zipper that went from her shoulder to her opposite hip. It had a hood, like Ollie's suit did, and her blue mask was draped over the wrist of the mannequin.

"I don't know where you keep all your weapons. Think you can help me out?" Cisco asked, pulling a cart over that was piled with all of Tala's weapons. Tala smiled and started telling him where to put things. The quiver full of arrows on her left calf, attached with two straps. Her bowstaff, like the one Sara used, in two pieces, hanging from her belt where she could grab them quickly. A short sword attached to her right thigh. Daggers nearly everywhere she could hide one.

"You have too many weapons. Where can I put an emblem?" Cisco complained, whining slightly.

"Across my chest. Opposite the zipper in the back. I was thinking a darker blue lightning bolt. Barry said it best, that lightning bolt struck us all. But I want to keep this sleeve blank." Tala gestured to her right bicep, where there wasn't anything.

"Why? You could easily put another dagger there," Cisco said, holding out another dagger and holster that was sitting on the cart. Tala shook her head and placed her bare palm against the fabric. She closed her eyes and concentrated, pushing with her powers. When she moved her hand, there were names there.

"Tommy, Sara, Bette. Ronnie," Cisco said, a sad smile on his face. "Try it on. We can show Caitlin."

Cisco looked at the names embroidered in silver stitching, grinning before moving to help Tala pull on her suit. She stood in her boots, leaning to the left as to not put weight on her recovering ankle. She grabbed the hood before pausing.

"Pass me that dagger," Tala demanded, holding out her left hand. She gathered her hair and pulled the knife through it, cutting it short. Cisco gasped, staring at the hair in her hand in shock. Tala leaned over and dumped her hair into a trashcan with a grim nod. Then she reached back and pulled up her hood, placing on her mask. She swiped her thumb across her lips, turning them blue. The collar of the suit contained a blue and silver choker necklace that she tapped, turning on her voice distorter.

"What do you think, Chisana Koneko?" She asked, standing as she adjusted the dark blue fingerless gloves.

"I think you need a better name than the Cerulean Spellcaster," He said, looking her over. She had Cisco carry her up to the Cortex, where he sat her down and called Caitlin over. She looked impressed with the result.

"You made all this Cisco?" She asked.

"Tala made the boots, and something special. Show her." Cisco said. Tala turned her right arm, exposing the silvery memorial.

"Tommy, Sara, Bette, Ronnie!" Caitlin said, tears blooming in her eyes.

"Fallen, but never forgotten. I'm sorry I didn't save him Cait. I tried so hard..."

"I know." Caitlin stopped her. "I heard in your medical notes. It was still recording. I know that he would've made it, but I don't blame you. He was a hero, and that makes me love him all the more. Now go change. Barry texted me - he's at a bar. We've all had a rough week." Cisco scooped up Tala and carried her back to his office. She felt with the magic Damian taught her for the feeling of her suit, and pushed, smiling when it appeared back on the mannequin.

"That's a neat trick. But you're not wearing anything," Cisco commented, making Tala blush.

"Oops. You've got my clothes though. Gimme!" She sent out tendrils of matter to chase him around until he brought her the jeans and tank. She pulled them on, sighing and running her fingers through her new, shorter hair. She looked in the reflective surface of a sheet of metal sitting nearby. She liked it. It felt fitting.

"Caitlin and Barry are going to freak when they see your hair," Cisco said, running his fingers through it. Tala shrugged.

"I want to drink so much I can't see. Let's go get Caitlin. Cody is already downstairs."

The three of them walked into the bar, Tala getting a piggy back from Cisco. He sat her down on a barstool where she immediately ordered three shots of tequila.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Barry asked.

"We thought we should have a toast," Tala said, handing the shots to Cisco and Caitlin.

"Doesn't work on me, remember?" Barry mourned, looking at the drinks behind the bar.

"Barry Allen, you of all people should know that nothing is impossible. I distilled a highly fermented potent suspension. It's basically five hundred proof," Caitlin said, sounding proud. Barry opened the vial and sniffed it, making a face. "I figured if anybody could use a drink tonight it would be you."

Tala tapped her shot against everyone else's.

"Fallen, but never forgotten," Cisco parroted her, throwing back his shot.

"To Bette," Caitlin and Barry said. They threw theirs back, Barry scrunching up his face afterwards.

"Wow, that is strong stuff. That hits you quick."

"Are you buzzed?" Caitlin asked, hopeful.

"Um, yeah, heh, yeah, I'm buzzed for sure. Woah, that is good stuff!" Barry said, looking at the vial it came in. Caitlin started bouncing on her toes in excitement. Tala smiled at them all. Her flock. She would protect them all. "And it's gone."

Tala snorted and ordered another round for the three of them that could drink.

"Work in progress." Caitlin said, nodding her head. Tala smiled. Her flock wasn't big, it wasn't perfect, but they were hers.

That night, Tala laid in bed next to Cisco and stared at the ceiling. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was two in the morning. She huffed and pulled herself out of Cisco's arms, hobbling to the living room. She pulled out her phone and called an old friend.

"Tala?"

"Hey. You said I could call if I ever needed to talk."

"I meant it. What's been going on?"

"Anything you could think of, and a few things you probably couldn't. I've been floating again, drifting and I can't get to shore."

"Talk to me Princess. Let me help you."


	8. 108 The Flash is Born

Tala groaned as her alarm for CCPD went off. She pushed her chair away from her book and looked up at the screen, grabbing a keyboard and typing.

"Cisco! We've got a thing." She shouted, spinning her chair in a circle. She typed, trying to see what was going on. "Cisco? Fine. Don't be here." She hit a few more keys, and satellite feed of a car chase filled the screen. "What douchebag steals a yellow hummer?" She asked, watching as Joe dove to save Eddie's life, before the car thief plowed through two police cars. "Ugh, I'll start planning a fundraiser for the police. That's gonna suck."

She moved to her desk and pulled up the telemetry for Barry's suit. It was flashing everywhere - this poor kid was taking a beating. Tala glared at her ankle, wishing it was already healed. Thankfully, due to her questionable usage of Danton Black's cells, she would probably be on her feet again soon. She flinched when Barry sped into the room and collapsed in pain on the floor. She dove to his side, supporting his head by guiding him to lay it on her lap. She pushed her powers reaching them out as far as she could, but since she didn't know where to send them, she couldn't. She pulled them back to her and set them to straightening out Barry. She heard Caitlin's heels in the hallway.

"Cait! Cisco, I need some help in here, now!" She shouted, pouring urgency and panic into her voice, knowing it would make them hurry. She heard them come running, Caitlin shouting Barry's name as she noticed him lying there. Cisco pulled the bed from the medical lab and brought it into the cortex. Tala supported Barry fully with her powers and moved him to the bed. Caitlin took a few X-rays, and moved to start setting everything in place.

"Thirteen fractures. That's a new record, and that's just in your hand! You also have a concussion, three cracked ribs, and a bruised spleen," Cait scolded as she tightened the brace on his right hand.

"Sarie, what did you hit, a brick wall?" Tala asked, sitting on the foot of his bed. "Mine wasn't even that bad."

"A man. A big, bad man. His skin changed when I hit him. Like it turned to metal," Barry said, his voice still holding pain.

"Interesting, a man of steel," Harrison said.

"Isn't that a comic or something?" Tala asked, raising her eyebrows.

"So you went after a metahuman alone? Dude, why didn't you call us?" Cisco asked, annoyed, more so that he missed out on the action.

"Hey, I was here, I even shouted for you guys. Not my fault you left the cortex without telling me!" Tala defended Barry, patting him on the leg. "I had your back. And there wasn't any sign of him being a metahuman. Just a douche. Seriously, what kind of tool steals a yellow Humvee?"

"I didn't know what he was. Besides, I was off duty. I just heard the sirens and followed."

"You're lucky he didn't knock out your teeth! Those puppies won't grow back," Cisco snarked, crossing his arms.

"Funny thing is, I feel like I knew him," Barry said, causing Tala to give him a look. "He said something that was familiar. But he's gonna hurt someone, so how do I fight someone made of steel?" Barry asked. Tala shrugged, not knowing how to fight someone she couldn't bruise or break.

"We will find a way, tonight you heal," Commanded Harrison, looking at Barry. Barry nodded and fell back into the bed, resting.

"We should go Cisco, we're of no use to Barry if he needs to heal, and I want a shower," Tala yawned, reaching with a tendril to grab the book she was reading. "Barry, if you get bored, you should read this. It's really good, and surprisingly sciencey."

" _Seveneves_. Alright. Thanks." Barry waved them both off as they left. Cisco piggybacking Tala out to the car Cody had waiting. Cody opened the door, passing her a stack of files as she sat. She made a face at her driver, making him grin ruefully.

"What's that?" Cisco asked, eyeing the stack.

"Paperwork. Employees who have left the company, new employees who have joined since I woke up. Quarterly reports on the finances, business propositions, probably my usual 'please marry my son' from a friend's family who is desperate to see him marry me. They desperately want a merger," Tala droned on, flicking through the different folders. "This one is information on Stagg's company. He suddenly took a vacation, apparently. Huh, his daughter is thinking about selling the company and was wondering if I wanted first bid. That's nice. I've always liked Sapphire."

Cisco made a face at the papers, making Tala laugh.

"I could never be a CEO - you have too much paperwork."

"That's why there are mergers! Like my friend's family wants. One CEO, but two people doing the job. They split it between them, and legally their signature works because the CEO says their signature works. Like when I officially absorb Star Labs, Harrison will be able to sign for anything to do with the applied science division. I could allow someone else to sign for some papers, like you or Cait, but my board would question it because they don't know either of you like I do," Tala said, pulling a blue pen out and starting to sign things.

"Talk to the board - have them accept my signature and I'll help you with your paperwork," Cisco offered, looking at the stack.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do that Koneko," Tala said turning to him. "If I do that, there's a chance it'll leak and the rumors about that will definitely set tongues wagging."

"You told my family that I was going to be your right hand. You've helped me in everything I've ever done at Star Labs since you've come here. It's time I start reciprocating," Cisco smiled at her, pulling a black pen from his pocket. Tala shrugged and handed him the files on the employees that left the company.

"These need approved. If they're transfers to another company we give them half again severance pay. If they were fired they get just the severance package, and if they retired or quit they get full severance pay, plus a bonus of an extra hundred percent if retiring after sixty-five. You need to go through the file and make sure their reasoning is documented and the pay is correct before signing it."

Cisco nodded and opened the first file, scanning it before signing it at the bottom. Tala pulled out a legal pad and wrote out a letter to the board, informing them that Cisco was allowed to sign for her, and make decisions regarding the company. She signed it at the bottom of the page with a flourish as they got to their house. Cody came around and opened their door, taking the letter and the signed files. Cisco carried her into the house, dumping her on the couch.

"You know, I'm starting to feel spoiled with you carrying me everywhere. I don't think I want to walk again," Tala said, grinning when Cisco brought her a drink.

"You're spoiled enough miss Merlyn. Do you really think you deserve me carrying you everywhere?" Cisco joked, sitting on the couch next to her.

"What if I made it worth your while?" Tala asked, sitting up.

"How would you do that?" Cisco asked, smiling when Tala moved to straddle his waist. She started kissing his neck, only breaking away when she pulled his shirt off.

Cisco woke up on the couch in his living room when the sun peered through the window. He looked at Tala, who was laying over him like a blanket. He checked his watch and mentally grumbled when he saw that it was time to get up anyway.

"So much for having a lie in. Tala, you need to wake up." The assassin didn't reply, but instead turned her head away from the intruding sunlight. She tried to burrow into Cisco like he was a pile of pillows. He chuckled at her, reaching down so he could get out from underneath her. He groaned and reached for his boxers, quickly pulling them on before padding into the kitchen to make Tala and himself some coffee. He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to fully wake up. When he looked to where the coffee maker was he let out a startled scream. Nyssa al Ghul was standing in his kitchen. Tala heard Cisco's shout and came running into the kitchen, her bow drawn, and her armor on.

"Nyssa? What the hell are you doing here?" Tala shouted as she pushed her armor back to Star Labs. Tala huffed and ran her fingers through her short, choppy hair. She pushed Nyssa out of the way of the coffee maker, grabbing the already brewed pot and pouring three cups, flavoring each for the people in the room. She passed Cisco his cup before taking a deep drink from her own, leaving Nyssa's there for her to grab.

"I was in Starling, looking for Sara's killer. I've been called back by father but I wanted to visit you. We haven't spoken in months. Though apparently I am intruding." Nyssa sent a pointed look to Tala's naked form. Tala didn't bat an eyelash.

"It's my house, Sister. I don't know what you expected."

"Tala sit down before Caitlin kills me for letting you walk on your ankle!" Cisco shouted, snapping out of his stupor at seeing the assassin princess in his house. "I'm going upstairs to take a shower."

Tala watched him walk away with a happy gleam in her eyes. Nyssa smiled at her sister.

"Love suits you, Sister. You should wear that look more often. But you are troubled, are you not?" Nyssa asked, sitting opposite Tala at the table. Tala sighed and ran her hands over her face. Nyssa looked at the choppy haircut, waiting for an explanation.

"I lost a friend last week. She was murdered in front of me, and I can't do anything against the murderer because he is a powerful figure. Not even the League would be able to move against him unnoticed. But that isn't the reason I asked you here. I need information. I can't go digging for it, so it needs to be you and Ra's. Will you do this for me?" Tala waited until Nyssa nodded before continuing, subtly throwing a wall up so Cisco couldn't come downstairs. "I need you to look into Harrison Wells. I need to know everything there is to know about the man. There is something about him that shouldn't be."

Nyssa nodded and left. Tala sighed and ran her hands over her face again before going upstairs to join Cisco in the shower.

"Now that she's gone, where were we?" Tala asked as she slipped under the hot water.

Tala shook her hair out as she stepped out of the shower. Cisco threw a towel over his shoulder as he walked into the bedroom, rummaging around for a shirt. Tala grinned at his back lazily walking to the closet. Her ankle felt better - so she assumed Danton's cells were working.

"What has gotten into you?" Cisco asked, turning around to face her.

"What do you mean, Koneko?" She asked him, confusion on her face.

"You've been acting like someone injected straight sunshine and rainbows into your blood. You've had that grin on your face since we got home last night, and it hasn't gone away since then. What has gotten into you?"

"A friend gave me some advice. I've felt adrift for a while, and as someone who's been shipwrecked, that's not a good feeling. He told me that there was nothing I could do to fight wherever the current was taking me. He told me to float and know I'll end up where I'm supposed to. I did last time, right?" Tala said, wiggling into a pair of shredded jeans. She thought for a moment before strapping a dagger to her left thigh, and a blade that could've passed for a machete to her right calf.

"And that advice made you this... this?" Cisco asked, pretending he didn't notice her weapons.

"No. The advice made me realize that if I hadn't gotten on that boat, I wouldn't have met you. I'd lost my purpose in Starling. With Speedy, the Arrow, Black Canary, and Dig - they had a veritable army. They didn't need me. Central City does. And I absolutely adore you, my Chisana Koneko. So I'm going to show you that." Tala grinned as she pushed Cisco backwards onto the bed. She leaned over him and kissed him gently and softly. "But not right now. We need to get to the Lab."

Cisco groaned as she moved off of him and started pulling on a shirt. Tala winked at him as she wandered into the bathroom to do her makeup for the day. He finished getting dressed and went down to make another cup of coffee. Tala came down on her phone.

"I fully understand what I'm asking the board to accept but here is what you need to understand. This is my company. I am the CEO and the owner of sixty percent of the shares of the company with my sister Thea holding another twenty percent. Francisco Ramón - the man you are rallying against owns another ten percent with the remaining ten percent split between you lot! So when I tell you that I want you to accept his signature as though it were mine, I fully expect you to do just that. Thea wanted nothing to do with running the company, completely happy to use her money to run her club. Francisco Ramón has helped me since I was in my coma, and will continue to be my right hand. At the rebranding ceremony in Starling, he will be there with me, Thea and Ray Palmer, _as my right hand._ So I expect him to be granted everything that goes along with that title. Thank you, enjoy the rest of your day!" Tala ended the call with a forced smile and murder in her eyes.

"Board members don't like me?" Cisco guessed, handing her another cup of coffee.

"They're annoyed that I'm handing CEO privileges to someone I'm not married or engaged to be married to," Tala said taking a grateful drink from her coffee. Cisco set her full thermos down next to her, rubbing her arms apologetically

"Wait, did you say I had ten percent of the shares in your company?" Cisco asked as they left the house, smiling at Cody who opened the car door and passed Tala more paperwork. Tala chuckled nervously, tugging on her hair.

"Yes. I did say that. You can actually blame my father for that. That ten percent was held in trust for my mother's old clinic in the Glades. When the Glades were destroyed, it defaulted to being held in trust by the Queen family. Ollie didn't want it, so he pushed it to Thea Queen, who doesn't exist so she gave it to me. I can't legally hold more than sixty percent, but I can gift The'eb Sagheer ten percent since she has her own separate identity. The problem is, when my grandfather started the company, he made it very clear that the only way one single person could hold more than ten percent of the company's shares was if they were family. The'eb Sagheer isn't a Merlyn; she's Warith Al Ghul. So she can only have ten percent. So I gave it to you."

"What? Wait, by law, Tala Merlyn can only own sixty percent. Your assassin alter ego was given ten percent since she technically has her own separate identity, but not as family to the Merlyn's. Thea, your half sister has ten percent already as a Merlyn. I have ten percent because she doesn't want more?" Cisco asked, thinking it all through.

"Thea doesn't really approve of Dad. She's not as comfortable with his darker side as I am. She claims the Merlyn name when it suits her, the way I only use my title as Warith Al Ghul when it suits me." Cisco shook his head, but signed the next document where Tala tapped.

Tala hopped out of the car at Star Labs and grabbed the stack of still unsigned paperwork and things she needed to read over before signing, passing the signed ones to Cody who said he'd be back with the rest at noon.

"Cody, tell the board I'm going to want a meeting at some point soon so I can introduce them all to Cisco, who has, unfortunately for him, agreed to work with me. A little like Isabel and Oliver, except less, grr." Cody laughed and nodded, saying he'd schedule it. Tala and Cisco went to the Cortex, laughing about the stack of papers that needed signing. Barry had left Tala's book sitting on her desk, with a note saying he enjoyed it.

"He finished it? It took me a week to finish that stupid brick!" Tala grumbled, pouting slightly. Cisco laughed at her.

"He read it twice actually. He can speed read," Caitlin said, patting Tala on the back.

Barry walked in, looking like someone kicked his puppy.

"Bear, what's wrong?" Tala asked, looking at him concerned. She stood and walked over to him, draping an arm around his shoulders.

"I found out who our Meta is. His name is Tony Woodward," Barry said bitterly. "My old school bully."

"Your childhood nemesis is now an unstoppable metahuman. That is seriously messed up!" Cisco said, looking both excited and sympathetic.

"I had a childhood nemesis. Lexi La Roche. She used to put gum in my hair," Cait said, making a face at the memory.

"Jake Puckett. If I didn't let him copy my homework, he'd give me a swirly," Cisco said. Cait and Cisco looked to Tala, expecting her to share next.

"James Black. He liked to steal my Pokémon cards. When I didn't give them to him he pushed me down two flights of stairs." Cisco looked at her alarmed.

"Now that we've established we're all uber-nerds. What are we going to do about Tony?" Tala and Cisco grinned.

"I'm glad you asked. We're going to train you man, _Karate Kid_ style," Cisco said, leading the way. Tala moved to follow but felt her ankle twinge. She pushed and made herself some crutches again, hobbling along. Even with the regenerative powers of Danton's cells, she apparently still needed some time. "Behold!" Cisco revealed the fighting robot he had created that morning. "I call him Girder."

"For the record, not my idea. I suggested putting you up against Tala," Caitlin said.

"Fighting is physics." Cisco stated. "It's not about strength, it's not about size, it's about energy and power. Channel your speed in the right way; you can totally take this bad boy down. Now, obviously your Girder is a moving target. So!" Cisco grabbed the control box and moved Girder around.

"I have ice and bandages standing by," Caitlin said.

"Can't I just fight Tala?" Barry asked, side eyeing Girder. Tala laughed lightly.

"No, one you might accidentally hurt her, and two Girder hits harder." Cisco said, looking at Barry. Tala had an offended look on her face.

"I'm not sure which of those statements were more offensive. That he thinks Barry could land a hit on me, or that I don't hit hard." Tala whispered to Caitlin, sipping her coffee. Cait shrugged. Barry made a face and went to hit Girder. Tala started taking mental notes on how he fought, and how to best help him. Cisco went into video game mode, eventually hitting Barry twice, knocking him to the ground.

"I think I dislocated my shoulder." He groaned from the floor. Tala shook her head.

"You're fighting me next, Sarie," Tala said, tossing Cisco her coffee thermos and hobbling back into the cortex. "I'll go easy on you."

Barry just groaned and let Cisco and Caitlin help him to his feet. Caitlin started looking him over, confirming that he did dislocate his shoulder.

"Okay, not going to lie, this is going to be quick, but extremely painful," Cait said as Barry's phone rang.

"Oh, speaking of pain, it's Eddie." Tala laughed and went over to Cisco, who held out a tablet for her. She pulled up a file and started on Tony's metafile.

"We're calling him Girder, right?" Tala asked, nudging Cisco, who nodded. Tala looked over as Barry screamed when he shoulder was reset. She shook her head. "Get back to your day job Sarie, I'll train you more later. You'll have to work on dodging."

Tala finished up the profile and saved it to her cyber vault. She smiled, quickly titling it The Pipeline. It was triple encrypted, by Cisco and Felicity. No one but her and the team could get in. She stood when someone behind her cleared their throat.

"Cody, hey. Is that the rest of the paperwork?" She asked, leaning back against the desk. He nodded and handed her a box. She looked at it apprehensively.

"Sorry, but you know how the board is. There's a file in there specifically for Cisco, from the Board." Tala groaned and set the box on her chair. "Also, is there legal trouble with Wells?" Cody asked, lowering his voice.

"What do you mean?" Tala asked, surprised.

"There's a detective in there, asking him about the night Mister Allen's mother died." Cody said, gesturing toward Harrison's office.

"I'm not the only one who suspects something isn't as it appears then. Hmm. Thanks Cody, but no, nothing solid yet, just a really bad feeling. Thanks for informing me though. Listen, do me a favor and don't mention this to Cisco - he idolizes Harrison and I don't want him to freak."

"Don't want who to freak about what?" Cisco asked as he walked back into the room.

"She doesn't want you to freak about the fact that I brought burritos from Tito's but forgot the guac," Cody covered, smoothly revealing the bag from Tito's.

"That's okay, Caitlin likes it more than me anyway," Tala sighed and grinned at Cody, thanking him.

Barry returned, tossing a small bag of gravel on Cisco's desk.

"I need to know what this stuff is. Tala, can you help me? I need to be able to beat this guy. I took another punch today."

Tala nodded and gestured for him to follow her to her gym.

"First you need to find your center. Stand like this, close your eyes, and feel," Tala showed him a stance where his feet were slightly apart and his arms were at his waist, relaxed but ready to move. "I'm going to push you in a few directions, let yourself move around, but feel for where your balance is., Tala circled him, pushing his shoulders, knees, arms and hips. "That ball of tenseness you feel, that's your center, that's where your power comes from. Now you need to breathe."

"I'm always breathing Tala." Barry sassed, earning him a smack on the back of his hand.

"Hush Sarie. You're too fast. Breathe in, as you count to four. Wait two seconds and breathe out and count to six. It slows the world down around you, calms your heartbeat and your blood flow. When you don't breathe, you fight using emotion. You can't do that. You can't see Girder as your childhood bully, just a jackass with a mean punch. Come at me," Tala said, relaxing into a fighting stance. Barry could see her breathing the way she told him to. She was in the same stance, but had her knees bent more, bringing her center lower to the ground. He shrugged and breathed, before racing over to her, aiming for her shoulder. Tala moved out of the way and sent him flying with a trip.

"Again!" She barked, turning to face him. Barry straightened and raced over, aiming for her shoulder again, but shifting at the last second to hit her in the stomach. She caught his punch, flipping him over her shoulder.

"Your wind up leaves you vulnerable to counterattacks and easier blocking. I can watch you aiming for where you want to go. Tony might not see it because he hasn't had my training, but Sarie, you go up against a skilled opponent, you won't land on your back, you'll land in a grave. Now, I want you to defend against me. No weapons, no magic - I promise."

Tala hauled Barry to his feet and waited until he was mostly ready before sweeping his legs out from under him. He jumped, but missed Tala's arm reaching out and catching his foot. She jerked him to the ground, and held him down with her knee on his thigh and her hand gently tapping his throat.

"You anticipated well. But I got you. Fighting isn't turn based like a sword duel. It isn't action, reaction, action. Fighting, especially fist fighting is action, action, action, result. Try again."

Tala pulled him to his feet with a gentle smile on her face. She jumped forward, aiming for his throat. Barry ducked, and stood just as quickly, catching Tala in her solar plexus, shunting her to the side with a grunt. She recovered quickly and swiped at his feet before following with a grab for his ankle again. Barry leapt backwards instead of just upward like the last time she tried that move. He threw a right-handed punch, quickly following it up with a left-handed jab. Tala caught the first punch, twisting to avoid the second. It just clipped her arm, making her wince.

"Barry!" Cisco's voice came from the doorway, causing him to look. Tala took that to her advantage and flipped him, pulling his arm up and resting her boot on his throat.

"Never get distracted. But that was good. You'll get better with more practice. What's up, Koneko?" Tala said as she pulled Barry upright. He glared at her.

"Check it out, the gravel you pulled from Tony's ride? It contains seventy six point eight percent hematite, consistent with the mines at Keystone Ironworks."

"Which closed down ten months ago, it's the perfect hideout," Barry said, thinking about something.

"Barry, do you mind telling me about this?" Caitlin asked, showing him and Tala her tablet where Iris had just posted a blog post.

"In case you're reading this; I have info about someone you're looking for. He was here, you know where to find me." Tala read out loud, before turning and looking at Barry. "Now who could she be talking to, because I know it isn't me." Barry made a distinctly uncomfortable face.

"Go, before I regret saying this. Go get her information - she's hopefully got something new," Tala sighed, rubbing her hand across her face. As Barry left, Tala walked over to the table in the corner and grabbed a water bottle.

"How was training?" Cisco asked. "It looked decent, until I walked in."

"He has good instincts, he just doesn't know how to listen to them. He landed a good hit on me. There are some moves only a speedster can pull off, that was one of them. If he can keep it up, I could have him fighting as well as Thea in a few months. Let's go back to the cortex. I feel like Barry is going to do something stupid."

"Tala, what do you call him? Sarie?" Caitlin asked as they walked out of the room.

"In the League, everyone gets a new name, a new identity. During the initiation, we get a mantra. 'Tala Merlyn is dead. She lives only in the past, I am The'eb Sagheer.' We have to say that every time someone refers to us by our given name, until we no longer react to our name. I call you Thalaj, it means snow. Sarie means fast. I'm essentially calling him speedy. Because I'm unoriginal." Tala laughed as she pulled up the information from the suit. His GPS tracker left Jitters, but didn't head toward them.

"Barry, talk to us, what are you doing?" Caitlin asked, looking nervous. Tala shook her head exasperatedly.

"Going after Girder, obviously," Tala groaned.

"Dude, don't run angry, we don't know how to defeat him yet." Cisco said to Barry. Tala pulled out her phone.

Me: _Cody, prep the car. We're probably going to have to rescue an injured Flash soon._

Cody: _Understood._

"This is definitely the place." Barry said into his comms. Tala dropped a pinpoint on the map, sending the location to Cody so he would know where to take them. She also put the location in his Metafile.

"Keep your wrist straight!" Tala barked, rolling her eyes. The telemetry on Barry's suit alerted the team that he was injured. Tala sighed, "I knew that was going to happen. Let's go, the car's ready."

The three of them ran down to the garage and piled into the car. Cody sped off and drove them to Keystone. Cisco and Tala monitored him over a tablet, making sure his vitals didn't drop. When they got there, Tala ran ahead, using her powers to feel for his vibrational energy.

"Barry?" She yelled when she found him, buried under a shelf. She pushed the shelf off him with her powers.

"Barry, say something so we know you're okay!" Caitlin worried, standing behind Tala, watching over her shoulder.

"Ouch," Barry said as Tala hauled him to his feet, letting him lean against her. She shook her head and half carried him; half led him back to the car. Cody passed Caitlin the first aid kit and drove them back to the lab, where Harrison met them in the cortex.

"What were you thinking? What were you thinking?!" Harrison lectured, looking at Barry. "I told you that we would figure out a way to deal with him!"

"I'll heal," Barry said tiredly.

"You can't heal when you're dead!" Harrison growled. His energy spiked again, making Tala frown.

"I told you to breathe, you can't fight with your emotions like that. You saw him as a danger to Iris and ran in blind, didn't you?" Tala asked him softly, rubbing his shoulder. He nodded.

"I didn't think," He whispered, his head down.

"You're an idiot," She said fondly, ruffling his hair. "Try and think next time Sarie, or bring me for backup."

"Don't encourage him! He could've died!" Harrison yelled at Tala, causing her to look at him with an arched eyebrow.

"I know, alright, I know! In the past thirty-six hours, I've had my ass handed to me twice by the guy that tortured me as a kid. I couldn't stop him then, and I can't stop him now. Even with my powers, I'm powerless against him!" Barry ranted, pacing the length of the cortex agitatedly.

"Not necessarily. Cisco." Harrison motioned the mechanical engineer over. "Any material, if struck with a high enough velocity can be compromised."

"Tala and I ran an analysis on the metal in Tony's footprint. Based on its density and atomic structure, if you impact it at just the right angle, at just the right speed, you could do serious damage."

"How fast would I have to go?" Barry asked. Tala pulled over a piece of paper and ran some quick numbers.

"If I remember the equation correctly, factoring in the metal's tensile strength, estimated dermal thickness, atmospheric pressure, air temp, you'd have to deck Tony at about, oh shit, Mach one point one." Tala said, looking at the paper. She flashed it to Cisco who nodded. Tala gave Barry an apologetic smile.

"You want Barry to hit something at eight hundred miles an hour?" Caitlin yelped, looking between Tala, Harrison, and Cisco with disbelief.

"Eight hundred thirty seven actually," Cisco said, glancing at Tala's math.

"That's faster than the speed of sound!" Caitlin shrieked. Tala and Cisco grinned.

"I know! He would create a sonic boom, which as I said before," Cisco high fived Tala, "Would be awesome!" They said together.

"I've never gone that fast." Barry said.

"Yet," Harrison chipped in.

"I can't believe we're actually entertaining this idea," Caitlin said, staring at them all. Tala gave her a 'what can we do' shrug. "I mean, he'd need a straight shot from miles away!" Tala pulled her paper back to her, running a different equation.

"Yeah, five point three miles, theoretically. Preferably five point four to combat potential cross winds, and for my safety of mind," She said, looking up from her paper.

"Do it right, and you'll take him down," Harrison said, nodding. Caitlin walked over to Barry.

"Do it wrong, and you'll shatter every bone in your body," Caitlin said, lowering the mood.

"Get back to CCPD, do your day job. I'll run numbers with Cisco, and try and figure out anything different we can do to get this jackhat the pipeline." Tala said, clapping Barry on the back and ushering him out of the building. She went over to a computer, grabbing the keyboard and kicking her feet up on the desk. She updated Tony's profile with a few thoughts she had, as well as the equations her and Cisco had run for Barry to hit him. Her phone rang - a number that wasn't a number was calling. She answered in Arabic.

"You aren't the only one who doesn't trust him. Sarab is trailing him for me. Detective West has started showing slight suspicion towards the target. We can see what he knows?"

"No. Have someone else tail the detective - find out why. He doesn't have my instincts. I need to know everything that the two of them do. Have Sarab stake out the Doctor's house. Something is fishy here," Tala ended the call as Cisco came back into the room holding snacks.

"Everything alright, you look troubled," Cisco commented, kissing the top of her head. Tala smiled at him.

"Worried about Sarie. This bully from his past is messing with his head, and he's been fighting with Iris. He needs a hug," She said opening the bag of chips.

"How are the numbers coming?" Caitlin asked, entering the room. Both engineers groaned loudly. Tala sent her work to a bigger monitor.

"Let's adjust the impact angle by point two degrees, and bring his speed up to eight thirty eight," Cisco said, nicking the keyboard from Tala's lap and running the simulation. "Bam." The computer Barry exploded.

"Ouch," Tala and Cisco said.

"Ouch?" Cait asked, looking at them with surprise on her face.

"Guys, you there?" Barry's voice came from the speakers.

"Yeah, what's up kiddo?" Tala asked, pushing her chair over to the desk.

"Tony took Iris. I need you to do whatever you can to help me find her, alright? Satellites, security cameras, hack them all."

"We're on it!" Tala and Cisco said, Tala leapt over the desk and started typing, Cisco running around to take the other monitor. Tala looked up when she saw Barry's suit telemetry turn on.

"He knows where she is. Alright Sarie," Tala said into the comms. "Remember what I taught you. Breathe, anticipate. Don't let your emotions get ahead of you." She watched, subtly sending a prayer up for him. His suit sent off pain receptors.

"He's hurt," Cisco said, looking at the monitors.

"He's going to end up with bruised ribs at best," Tala commented, looking at the area where the suit lit up. Suddenly his GPS tracker ran away from the elementary school. Tala tilted her head before getting a bad feeling in her gut.

"Oh, no. Sarie..." She trailed off, watching his tracker move.

"He made it out. Barely." Cisco said, not having heard Tala's comment.

"Why did he stop? He's miles away." Caitlin asked, looking at the computer screen.

"Five point four miles away," Cisco said, looking at Tala. She groaned and covered her face with her hands. Barry took off running.

"Barry wait!" Caitlin tried.

"No way, he's gonna do it!" Cisco said, standing up. Tala stood and started running numbers in her head, trying to figure out what to do in the event of their worst-case scenario. She stopped when she saw his speed start going where they needed it to go.

"Go, man go!" She cheered with Cisco, knowing that Barry was actually going to be able to do it. She heard the sonic boom, and watched as the suit told them he landed the punch.

"Supersonic punch baby, woo!" Her and Cisco cheered, probably way too excited. She grabbed Caitlin, picking her up and spinning her in a circle, before grabbing Cisco and kissing him. She dipped him, holding him and grinning at him. She laughed before kissing him again, bending down to meet him. She stood him up as Cait started laughing at them.

"Sarie, nice job. Get Girder back here and chuck his metal ass in the pipeline. Cait will patch you up," Tala said to Barry before turning to Cait with a thought. "We really need to figure out a painkiller that Barry can take that won't metabolize through as fast as he does."

The other two nodded their approval, before moving down to the pipeline and summoning up the cell designed for Girder. Barry met them down there, dragging an unconscious Tony with him.

"Iris actually delivered the final punch that knocked him out." Tala made an approving face. Barry pulled his cowl down, standing in the shadows as Tony woke up.

"What is this? Where the hell am I?" Tony raged, banging on the door.

"Somewhere you'll never hurt anyone ever again," Barry said, glaring at him. Tala stood behind him, wearing her mask as the vigilante from Starling City.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Tony asked, glaring at them both. Tala smirked as Barry stepped into the light. She followed, hovering just behind him.

"You know who I am," Barry said. Tala watched Tony's face and had to force herself to keep hers straight.

"Allen?" Tony asked, genuinely surprised. Tala placed a hand on his shoulder in support.

"The thing that happened to you, Tony, happened to us too. But it didn't just give us abilities; it made us more of who we are. You got strong, I got fast."

"Fast enough to beat you," Tala said, her voice haunting.

"You used your gift to hurt people. Not anymore," Barry said.

"Allen," Tony started, his rage building. "Allen! Allen, don't walk away from me, Allen. Hey! Come back here!" He shouted. Tala reached over and closed the door to the pipeline. Barry punched the air in celebration.

"Dude, that had to feel great," Cisco said, clapping Barry on the back.

"You have no idea," Barry replied, still grinning like a lunatic.

"Almost as good as proving me wrong about the supersonic punch?" Caitlin asked, smiling at the speedster.

"Actually that part hurt, like, a lot. But I couldn't have done it without you guys." Barry said, smiling at the three in thanks.

"All I wanna know is which childhood bully are we gonna take down next? Mine, Caitlin's or Tala's?" Cisco asked, looking at Barry.

"Oh yeah?" Barry asked, smiling.

"I vote mine. What, guys this is not a joke!" Cisco said, following his laughing friends back to the cortex. Tala glanced back at the pipeline door and nodded. She knew it would hold against Girder.

She jogged to catch up to Cisco and Caitlin; the three of them were going to go back to her place for dinner and drinks. She smiled at them both, throwing her arms around their shoulders.

"You know what I think I'm going to make for dinner? Nasi. I haven't had it in ages. It's this rice dish with ham and leeks, and you cover it in soy sauce and it is the best fifteen minute dish I've ever had," She said, looking at them both.

"Well then let's go!" Cisco cheered, turning the group toward the elevator.

Cisco was reading over Iris's blog on a tablet while Tala was looking over the information Sarab had sent her.

"Iris changed Barry's nickname," Cisco commented.

"Hmm?" Tala hummed, looking up distractedly.

"Instead of the Streak, which is a horrible name, he's now the Flash." Tala smiled.

"The Flash. I like it," Tala said, grinning. She pushed the update on her target away and closed up her tablet, standing up off the couch. She reached down and grabbed Cisco by the front of his jacket and started dragging him upstairs.

"Come on. No Nyssa to bother us tomorrow morning." Tala giggled, leading the way up to their bedroom. Cisco followed, kicking the bedroom door closed behind him.

Sarab stood in the darkened living room of The'eb Sagheer. He didn't flinch, but instead caught the arrow that was aimed at his chest.

"Why are you in my house?" The'eb Sagheer hissed in furious Japanese.

"I have news, something you need to know." The'eb Sagheer dropped her arrow back in her quiver, catching the one Sarab tossed back to her. "I was watching the detective. He was at his house going over the case file of Nora Allen's murder. He thought Wells was connected to it. A man in yellow appeared in a storm of red lightning, taking the case files and threatening Iris West. The detective has dropped his investigation."

"Who all knew of the investigation?"

"You, me, my people, Barry Allen, Detective West, and Harrison Wells." Sarab answered.

"He's a speedster, Harrison Wells is a speedster. That explains the energy, but not how he killed Nora." The'eb Sagheer rubbed her forehead, trying to think. "Go, keep watching them, especially Harrison - he is the priority. Thank you, Sarab."

Tala curled up next to Cisco, letting him wrap his arms around her in his sleep. She fell into a fitful sleep, trying to puzzle out the man her beloved looked up to.


	9. 109 Power Outage

Tala woke before Cisco did, finding herself hanging halfway off her bed. She shook her head, croaking when she hit the floor with a muffled thud.

"What?" Cisco groaned, yawning.

"Gravity, thou art a heartless bitch," Tala complained, rolling her shoulder.

"Why're you on the floor?" Cisco asked, looking at her, confused.

"Because I felt like it. Oh dreams are weird. I had a dream that Caitlin was a superhero at this place called Sky High and she could control plants. Her name was Layla. It was weird. I dunno how I ended up on the floor though."

"Caitlin, a superhero?" Cisco asked, reaching over to help her off the floor. She shrugged and stood, moving toward the shower.

"We're needed in the office this morning - I have a suit hanging in the closet for you," Tala said, scratching her head. Cisco made a face at the closet doors, and decided to follow Tala into the shower. She melted against him as he started placing kisses along her spine.

Tala adjusted her earrings, as she casually flashed her badge at security, walking to the elevator. Cody followed behind her and Cisco, carrying a box of papers, intent on passing them off to Kyle once they got to Tala's office. Someone darted in the elevator just before the doors closed.

"Miss Merlyn, I have a quick question for you," He said, holding a notepad and a pen with shaking hands.

"Who the hell are you?" Tala barked, using the voice she normally reserved for employees.

"Tom, Tom Baker; Central City Picture News," He said, holding out his hand for her to shake. She crossed her arms, glaring at him. The tremors in his hands got worse. "Anyway, I was hoping you could confirm or deny the rumors that you are engaged?" Tala, Cisco, and Cody exchanged very confused looks.

"There are rumors that I'm engaged? Allah preserve me, to whom? Where did they originate? Who am I firing now?" She asked the reporter, leaning over him. Cody hit the stop button, forcing the elevator to stop in between floors. He and Cisco leaned back against the walls, content to watch Tala frighten the information out of the reporter.

"We at CCPN got a tip that you had signed CEO abilities over to a Francisco Ramon - something that only happens in the wake of an engagement or a marriage. Is he a CEO for another company? Is there going to be a merger in the company's future?"

"Tom, can I call you Tom? Here's my comment." Tala wrapped her arm around his neck and jerked, letting him collapse on the floor unconscious. Cody started the elevator up again, bringing the trio up to Tala's office floor. Tala stepped over the sleeping reporter and walked out, heading to Kyle's desk.

"Call security, there's an unconscious reporter in the elevator that needs removed from the building. Tell security that if reporters can get in here and harass me about my relationship status, they're doing something wrong. Don't let it happen again," Tala said to Kyle as she straightened her blazer and stalked into her office, Cisco following with a smirk on his face. Cody left the box on Kyle's desk before going back to drag Tom out of the building.

"You're sexy when you're scary," Cisco commented, making Tala laugh.

"And you're sexy in a suit. You really need to wear them more often." She looked him up and down before taking a seat at her desk and pressing the intercom that connected her to Kyle.

"Kyle, what's on my calendar today? And can you have someone bring some coffee up here?" Kyle nodded through the glass wall at her, and sending her a quick email with a list of things she needed to do that day before leaving the office. Tala opened it and groaned. "I wish I had Barry's super speed."

Cisco leaned over her shoulder, looking at the list. "I can help with most of these."

"If we do the press conference at eight, we can meet the board at eight thirty, get through the meetings by ten, we can be at the labs after that? The engineers and cyber security can be done back to back, then we can tackle HR and PR. Kyle can you arrange that?" Tala looked up at Kyle who had entered the office with two mugs of steaming coffee.

"Yeah, I'll start calling the press. Though you may want to add something in about Mister Ramon here - before the rumors start. Also, Cynthia is here for you." Tala groaned.

"Send her in. She can start with Cisco. Why didn't you have Cody warn me we needed a press conference?! She's going to force me into a skirt," Tala pouted, slouching in her seat. Cisco raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Press conferences mean that Cynthia appears and makes me presentable for cameras. She's going to attack you too. Especially since you're going to be my right hand."

A tall woman with dark black hair walked in dragging a suitcase, and carrying a garment bag. Tala stood and hugged her tightly, speaking rapidly in Italian with her, occasionally gesturing toward Cisco.

"I know darling. Why do you think I come prepared?" Cynthia asked in accented English. "I have everything for you both. You boy, go put this on - no complaint," She draped the bag over the couch in the room and pulled out a hanger with pants, shirt and jacket.

"What's wrong with my suit?" Cisco complained, looking down at what Tala had bought for him. Cynthia poked his chest with a sharp manicured nail.

"This good for meeting. Not good for camera - television makes you look bigger, put you in every home. This outfit makes you likeable. Take your contacts out too. You as well Tala." Cisco looked at Tala with surprise.

"Go change, Koneko. She'll still be torturing me when you get back." Tala said, sitting on the table and removing her shoes and her pants. Cisco shrugged and walked down the hall to the restroom to change. He came back to find Tala half naked with Cynthia holding up two different outfits.

"The blue one." He piped up, gesturing to the skirt and top combo. Tala looked at him, her mouth falling open. Cisco stood there in black pants, a blue button up with pink dots decorating it, and a gray tweed-looking jacket. He was wearing a pair of brown boots Cynthia had handed him as he left. Cynthia walked over to him and adjusted his sleeves and pushed a red and blue pocket square in his coat pocket, before placing a silvery gray pair of glasses on his face.

"I fix your hair after Tala. But it's a good start. What do you think, bella?" Cynthia turned to face Tala, who was still staring at Cisco with an open mouth. "I think she likes. She will wear the outfit you chose." Cynthia walked over to Tala and started moving her around until she came to her senses. Cisco laughed before moving the glasses so he could take his contacts out, tossing them in the trash. Tala was already wearing glasses, instead of the expected blue; they were a red with darker red accents. Cynthia zipped her into a skirt before pulling a top that showed her toned midriff. It was gray and blue, matching the two of them. Tala grumbled as she pulled on a pair of strappy silver heels that Cisco barely remembered.

"Are those the same shoes you wore when we turned on the accelerator?" He asked, adjusting his jacket. Tala nodded, tying them quickly. The clock on her desk said they had twenty minutes before they had to be in front of their building and announce their plans for the month, and officially rebranding their company. Cynthia adjusted Tala's makeup before fixing Cisco's hair. "I don't think I like being a CEO." He whispered to her. She snorted and nodded.

"You two are perfect. Now Francisco, when you plan to propose to her, you need to call me first so I can pick the perfect ring. This is obligation for you." Tala and Cisco gaped and stuttered at her as Cynthia left the office, shouting Ciao over her shoulder.

"She is why I never hold press conferences. Sadly, we will probably see her again when we go through the rebranding ceremony. Let's go, the vultures are probably waiting on us." Cisco stood and offered Tala his elbow, making her smile. Kyle trailed behind them, reading from a folder in his arms.

"They're going to want to know about Cisco, the rebranding. I've heard rumors that someone is going to ask about the Flash that's been running around." Tala and Cisco exchanged looks at that news, Kyle didn't notice as he was rifling through the folder. "The fundraiser you said you were going to host for the police force is also a key topic today. And Star Labs. We actually have security fighting off a group of protesters who don't want you to buy them out."

Tala sighed and straightened her shoulders as they neared the ground floor. She rolled her neck and strolled out of the elevator, Cisco on her right side, Kyle behind them both. Cody walked in front of them acting as security as they left the building, where a podium was standing up ready for them, surrounded by journalists and reporters. Tala didn't even blink as a few dozen camera flashes went off at her and Cisco. She stared down the crowd with a practiced ease.

"Hello and welcome. Thank you all for coming this morning, I understand that we were a little last minute in scheduling this conference, but if running a company has taught me anything, it's that plans are often best made at the last second. I would like to introduce Cody James, my new head of personal security, and Francisco Ramon, my right hand and VP. This is Kyle James, my personal assistant. I think we will start with questions before moving on to any new announcements. Yes, channel fifty two." Tala gestured to a woman with a microphone.

"Thank you. My question centers on Thea Queen, the Queen family's youngest daughter who has recently been making waves as a Merlyn, do you have any comment?" Tala raised her eyebrows in surprise, sending a look to Kyle, who should've known about that question.

"Yes, Thea is my half sister, the result of an affair between my late father, Malcolm Merlyn, and the late Moira Queen. I suspected a familial relationship with Thea about nine years ago when I first met her. We shared a few common features and habits, causing me to question my father, who told me it was possible. Thea has told me she has no interest in running or even working for the Merlyn Company, instead taking her shares in the company to run her own club in the Glades in Starling City. You, Wall Street." Tala pointed to a man to the left.

"Thanks, we were wondering what you could tell us about the rebranding that we have heard whispers about, and the potential buying out of Star Labs." Tala shook her head, looking in front of her. Next to her, Cisco placed his hand on her lower back in silent support. She paused to smile at him briefly.

"Yes, I am rebranding the company in a ceremony in the next two weeks in Starling City. Under my late father's direction, the Merlyn Global Group assisted and funded a terrible undertaking that took five hundred and three lives in the Starling City Glades. This same attack cost my father his life, and his leadership of the company. I hope that by rebranding the company, we can move forward, past his terrible offense and toward a brighter future. We will be buying Star Labs, making it our theoretical sciences division, under the leadership of Harrison Wells and Francisco Ramon. It is all of our hopes that we can change the world for the better. You, channel four."

"Yes, we've heard rumors you are hosting a fundraiser, does this have anything to do with the Flash running around? Or are you trying to compete with the media attention the Arrow of Starling City has garnered?" Tala blinked at their supposed web of connections.

"I have no need to compete with a man in leather pants for media attention. He wears a hood and a mask, I wear business clothes and glasses. As for the Flash, I've read the blog and I personally know Iris West. If she says that the Flash is good for Central City then I will believe her until I can personally meet him and make my own judgment. As for the fundraising for the police department, what police officer won't tell you they need more money? Just last week, Tony Woodward destroyed three different police cruisers. He is still at large. Police cruisers don't grow on trees, at least, none that I've seen before. The police are here to protect us. To do so properly they need money. Yes, CCPN."

"Thank you. My question is concerning your relationship with Francisco Ramon. He has been granted control matching your own in your company, yet before has never been heard of, have the two of you been hiding a relationship? If so for how long?" Tala closed her eyes and took a breath, wondering how she was going to answer this.

"I can take this question." Cisco said, gently guiding Tala away from the microphones in front of her and taking her place in front of the cameras. He pushed some of his hair behind his ear and adjusted his glasses, looking out at the reporters. "Tala and I first met the night of the particle accelerator explosion ten months ago. She was at Star Labs as an investor and expressed interest in something I was working on. She helped me perfect the design and later helped me market it. When the accelerator went critical she risked her life to redirect the blast from outward to upward, resulting in her being in a coma for nearly five months. I and a mutual friend, Doctor Caitlin Snow, helped keep her alive and stable. We have since become close friends. I offered to help her because she has helped and supported me since we've met. Our relationship is one of friendship and trust. Were I to be honored with more, I'm sure it would be front page news."

"Thank you, nothing further." Cody guided them back into the building and the elevator while Kyle stayed behind to wrap up the conference. Tala slumped against Cisco once the elevator doors shut. He grinned and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I hate press. I hate reporters. I hate skirts!" Tala grumbled as they walked back into her office. She reached for her dress pants, only to find them not there, replaced by a note from Cynthia.

 _I refuse to have you undo all my hard work. You will wear this for the rest of the day or you will go without pants. Ciao Bella. ~Cynthia_

"I want her fired. No, don't, because she's the only person I know who can make me look good on camera." Tala shook her head and sat at her desk, glancing at the clock that told her she had ten minutes until her board meeting. Cody brought her another cup of coffee, which she drank down quickly. She shook her head, sending her still choppy hair flying around her face. She ran her fingers through it making it look purposefully mussed up, and ran her thumb over her lips, changing them from the rosy pink Cynthia insisted on, to a navy blue.

"I will never know how you do that," Cisco commented, watching in fascination.

"Damian taught me magic. Some are parlor tricks, others are actual magic." Tala checked her reflection in the black screen of her tablet. "Ready to go meet the board? This should only be half as bad as the press conference," Tala complained. She reached out to take Cisco's hand as they walked into the boardroom, finding everyone already there.

"Miss Merlyn, Mister Ramon, welcome. We have lots to discuss." The head of the board said as they walked in. Tala held out the chair on her right for Cisco, before seating herself and instantly tuning out the board. She looked up when the head of the board brought something up that she wasn't expecting.

"I know this isn't on the docket, and it is highly unorthodox to bring up, but I feel like it must be discussed now, as opposed to later when it might be too late to deal with." Cisco and Tala exchanged shrugs and confused looks.

"What exactly are you referring to, Mister Greyson? If this is in conjunction with the rebranding, I assure you nothing but the company name will change," Tala said, barely keeping her tone on the professional side of scathing.

"No ma'am. This is to do with your relationship with Mister Ramon. When you two marry, the board has expressed to me the collective decision for him to take your name, to keep the company in the Merlyn name, as your grandfather would've wanted." Tala looked at Cody with a long-suffering look, before grabbing Cisco's hand, to prevent herself from committing murder.

"Mister, Greyson, was it?" Cisco asked, looking at him directly. "I just stood in front of every reporter and two bit journalist in Central City, stating that the only relationship between me and Tala was professional and a very strong friendship. We have only known each other for a little over ten months, half of that time she spent in a coma. And if our relationship is to turn to marriage, you will certainly have no say in the color scheme, let alone who takes whose last name. Am I clear?" Cisco said, his voice turning icy.

"This meeting is over." Cody said, shattering the silence that followed Cisco's statement. The board members filed out, leaving a very tense Tala to be pulled into a hug. She felt the anger bleed out of her as Cisco whispered to her in Spanish. Her phone rang. She saw the name on it and asked Cisco for a moment, before answering the phone.

"No, I am not getting married." Cisco couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but he could tell from Tala's tone that whomever she was talking to was a friend. "I know that... yes... no... I understand how you feel about that, and my promise to you still stands, but you have to understand that my life isn't in your control. And no, much as you're my best friend, you can't dictate whom I sleep with, nor can you prevent me from being with the people I like. Get over it." She ended the call with a sigh. "My best friend from sixth grade saw the news. According to the reporters, we are secretly engaged, and we're only hiding it because you can't afford a ring nice enough to suit my station. Guess they haven't gotten ahold of your financial records. Wonder if Cait's seen it yet?" Tala giggled, tossing her phone to Cody who put it on her desk.

"Cait? I'm more curious as to when my dad's going to see it." Tala's eyes widened, before shooting him an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I completely forgot your father keeps up with company news. Maybe we can have them over for dinner, just your parents. I can cook?" Tala offered.

"I'd like that. We can plan it for later this week," Cisco said, pulling his jacket off and rolling up his sleeves. "Now let's get these meetings over with so we can get to the fun job."

Cody finally got them to Star Labs at just after ten. Tala and Cisco walked in, Tala calling over her shoulder that Cody could have the day to himself, and that they would probably be done by seven that evening. They walked into the cortex right as Caitlin was moving to call them.

"Sorry, apparently companies don't run themselves. We had four thousand things to do and to deal with this morning, including a press conference." Tala took a drink from her coffee mug as Cisco pulled his jacket off, draping it over the back of his chair.

"Are you wearing a skirt? And glasses? Who are you and what have you done with Tala?" Caitlin asked, staring at the two of them in surprise. She looked Cisco up and down, very surprised by his ability to clean up.

"Cynthia, her personal decorator attacked us. I was more scared of her than I was when Deathstroke attacked us. She also took our clothes and forbade us from changing for the day. I'm not complaining because I get to look at Tala." Cisco gestured to her, grinning.

"As long as I get to keep looking at you. Ugh, Cait you should have heard the shit we had to deal with today. Everyone is convinced Cisco and I are secretly engaged. It's actually ridiculous. My own board has insisted that when - not if, when - we get married that Cisco takes my last name. Francisco Merlyn. Eh, maybe hyphenated." Tala giggled, flopping into her chair before remembering her outfit and standing and perching on the desk. "Please tell me I get to punch something today."

"Barry's late, you can always beat him up," Caitlin said, shaking her head to get over the surprise of seeing her two friends dressed up. "Cisco, can you imagine Ronnie's reaction to seeing you dressed up like this?"

Cisco smiled, looking at his friend.

"He would think I'm pranking him. Then he would ask if he needed to be worried," Cisco laughed, rolling up his sleeves before moving to start working on his new project. Tala grabbed a tablet and started working on the changes they would make as her new theoretical science division. Harrison wheeled in.

"Where is Barry, he's late," He asked, entering the room.

"Late is kind of his signature move," Caitlin said. Tala snorted from her spot on the desk.

"Hey, you guys wanna see my signature move?" Cisco asked. Tala turned toward him; curious, and wishing she had a camera. Barry sped into the room holding coffee.

"Sorry guys, I got a little held up," He laughed at a joke that no one understood. Cisco and Caitlin gave him a questioning look. "You had to be there."

"I'm going to need a moment or two alone with Barry." Harrison said. Tala got the sudden sense of being sent to the principal's office back in high school. Her and Caitlin quickly left the room, hearing Cisco go "Oh, you're in trouble." Only reinforcing Tala's sense of deja vu. She went to Cisco's workshop where they were sketching out an improvement to Barry's suit.

"We need eyes on Barry when he's out there. If we could get a camera somewhere, we could help him fight better," He said as they entered the room.

"I had a micro camera implanted in my choker, Felicity used it as her way of helping ID the bad guys. If I resync the signal to the Merlyn and Star Labs satellites, I can start wearing it again with my new suit," Tala said, sitting opposite Cisco, crossing her legs.

"You hate wearing that thing. I haven't even seen you put on a necklace since getting it off. Why would you put it back on?" Cisco asked, looking up at her.

"Because it'll help. It has a GPS signal, my voice distorter, a camera and my comms devices in it. Nothing can block it, and no one but me can get into it or take it off of me. And if I get in a really sticky spot, I can call for Ollie and Nyssa." Tala reasoned, pulling the choker out of a drawer. It still had a hole where Tala stabbed it after taking it off. "If I can fix this, I can match it to the lightning bolt on my suit, make it an accessory. Wanna help?"

Cisco grinned and grabbed a pair of pliers and a screwdriver.

"Cait, you got any dinner plans?" Tala asked as she walked into the cortex. "Cody made reservations at that Thai place in town for us. My friend from sixth grade might join us. I've been begging him to come meet you all. I just know he'll adore you all as much as I do."

"Who will adore us?" Barry asked as he walked in holding a flash drive. Tala eyed it.

"That flash drive means work for us, doesn't it? You think your homicide was caused by a Metahuman," Tala said, frowning.

"The guy was burned to death, with arc shocks around the body. Despite there being no power lines around him, nor any of the combustible fluids around exploding. I need an ID on the body, can you guys do that?" Barry tossed the flash drive to Cisco who moved over to a computer. "Since when do you two dress up this much?"

"Press conference this morning. It was literal hell. I need something to punch, so if you go all fastest man alive, you're taking me." Barry nodded at her, agreeing to take her with him.

"Facial reconstructive software. It was designed for archeologists, it should help us identify your crispy corpse," Cisco said, pulling open the crime scene photos.

"The question is how'd he get fried in the first place?" Tala asked, leaning over Cisco's shoulder to watch him work. "Is there a Metahuman out there that can control electricity? Never mind, we've seen all sorts, I don't doubt it."

"It'd take a serious electrostatic discharge to cause that tissue damage," Harrison said, looking at the images on his tablet attached to his chair. Tala looked curiously at him, wondering if he was truly the speedster she thought him to be. She turned back to the computer as it beeped.

"Guys, according to this software, there's an eighty two percent chance your victim looked like this." The picture still wouldn't help Barry ID the man, but it was better than what he had when he walked it.

"Eighty two?" Barry asked, skeptical.

"Hey, it was zero when you walked in here, pal," Cisco said, looking up at Barry.

"Can we cross reference it with DMV, maybe get a name?" Tala asked, moving to use the keyboard.

"Absolutely, this software can do just about anything," Cisco said smiling. "Now that Felicity's reprogrammed it." Tala giggled, moving to sit on his lap while she worked.

"Casey Donahue. No wife, no kids, used to work at the Petersburg electrical substation," She read out, looking at the profile.

"That can't be a coincidence," Caitlin said.

"That's weird, someone just used his ID to get into the substation," Cisco said. Tala stood and pulled, bouncing as she shifted from CEO to vigilante. She placed her mask on and pulled up her hood.

"Call Cody, tell him to cancel that reservation. I finally get to punch something," Tala's distorted voice echoed around the room.

"The Petersburg grid is experiencing a power drain right now," Caitlin told them. Harrison started telling Barry to be careful, but he picked up Tala and sped out, heading to the substation. They got there and found a man pulling electricity from the station. Tala shot an arrow at him, catching him in the shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure this is a restricted area, Sparky," She shouted, pulling another arrow from her quiver. She notched it and aimed at his head, ready to put an arrow in his eye. He shot a blast of electricity at them. Barry grabbed Tala and moved her out of the way.

"Easy there, Zappy!" Barry said. Their perp pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and threw it on the ground.

"I have to feed!" He said. Tala blinked at his voice, it sounded like someone ran lightning down this guy's throat. Tala fired an arrow, before throwing up a wall of matter Sparky couldn't shoot through, while Barry drew his fire. Sparky landed a lucky shot on Barry, and pulled the energy toward him.

"Whoa, what was that?" She heard Cisco say. Barry managed to run away, but it looked feeble. Tala fired two more arrows into Sparky before running to find Barry. She found him collapsed a few yards away. He was panting and shaking.

"Barry, what's happening?" Harrison's voice came through. Barry and Tala looked up at the crunch of gravel and saw their Metahuman standing there looking crazed. She threw a wall of matter up, but the lightning got past it, striking Barry. A stray bolt hit her, leaving her shaking and stuttering as if she'd been electrocuted. She threw three knives in quick succession, only one hitting him, making him stop. He stumbled away, muttering about being too much.

"Get out of there," Harrison's voice demanded. Barry stood and picked up Tala, trying to run. He stumbled and dropped her, sending them both rolling. Barry was panting.

"Run, Barry!" Harrison said. Barry looked at Tala and shook his head.

"I can't. My speed, it's gone." Tala groaned and pulled out her phone, calling for an Uber. She was shaking too much so she passed her phone to Barry. She thought about calling Cody, but he didn't know about her being a vigilante, nor did he need to know about Barry being the Flash. When the uber pulled up, they put smiles on their faces, claiming they were coming from a cosplay party. They got to Star Labs, and Tala's shakes were mostly gone, just leaving her with the occasional tremor. Tala was given a set of sweats while Barry changed and got on the treadmill. She sat near Cisco and watched.

"He runs slow even for a normal person," Cisco commented. Barry stopped running, panting. Tala tossed him a bottle of water.

"You can't just lose your powers!" Caitlin protested, "Okay, your DNA was altered by the particle accelerator blast. There's no way to untransform DNA."

"Yeah? Tell that to the Uber driver who charged us sixty-five bucks to get here. We had to tell him we were coming from a cosplay party!" Barry complained.

"Uber driver, why didn't you call Cody?" Cisco asked, looking over at Tala. She rolled her eyes and stood, ignoring the tremor that pushed its way down her spine.

"Because I'm in a hood with a mask on and Cody doesn't know that I like to put arrows in people who annoy me. My secret identity is just that - a secret. I wasn't going to risk him knowing when I can easily throw sixty some bucks at a driver while we claim to be uber-nerds," Tala said, wrapping her arms around her torso as she shook again.

"So we were wrong. This metahuman doesn't electrocute people, he siphons electricity, thereby removing your power," Harrison said. Tala studied him from behind, feeling his energy move and vibrate. Barry's cells were still, so Tala knew it was coming from Harrison. She silently resolved to watch him closely until Barry got his powers back.

"So what, plug Barry in like a dead tablet and hope it fixes him? Would that even work, or just make him shake like I am?" Tala asked, sitting down again before she fell over.

"Do we think this is temporary?" Barry asked, looking to Caitlin for answers.

"We have to run tests," Was Harrison's response. Barry stood, sighing.

"I've got to warn Joe," He started leaving the room. Tala ran her fingers through her hair, feeling bad for Barry. She should've been quicker - should've taken the hit for him.

"Barry. We will find a way to restore your speed," Harrison said, spinning to face him. "I promise you that." Barry nodded, then left the room. Tala leaned against Cisco tiredly. Harrison left, appearing to head to his office. She watched him go, frowning slightly. Harrison seemed more upset with Barry losing his speed than Barry did. Caitlin walked over to a computer and started comparing Barry's DNA to before and after they fought Sparky.

"Cait, I don't think Barry's powers are gone for good. Look, look there." Tala stuttered, growling softly afterwards as she pointed. Barry's DNA hadn't changed.

"So what, you think he needs an electric shock?" Caitlin asked, looking at her. Tala shook her head.

"What is the strongest motivator in the world? Adrenaline. It's been known to let mothers lift cars off their babies. I feel like if enough adrenaline hits his system, he'll get a jump-start. I've no idea how to do it though. Not without letting Nimbus out of his cage."

"Let's not do that." Cisco said, eyeing Tala like she was crazy. She smiled at him and moved to lie on the hospital bed. "You okay Tala?"

"Tired. Apparently getting nearly electrocuted to death makes you tired. Wake me up when Barry gets back yeah?" Tala said, rubbing her eyes. She curled up on her side, facing away from where Cait and Cisco were working and drifted to sleep. Cisco looked over at her, concern in his features.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Cisco asked Cait quietly. Cait nodded, smiling gently.

"She's gonna be tired for a while, her stutter might last another day, and her shakes should go away after two. She's also had a long day. I saw the conference earlier. That reporter from Central City Picture News, yikes, is that really a rumor?" Caitlin asked, leading Cisco into her office so they could talk.

"Yeah, her board is even asking about it. Do we really seem that close?" Cisco asked as he dropped into a chair.

"Sometimes. But we've all been through so much recently, it's hard to remember that we've only known her for ten months," Caitlin said, sitting opposite her friend. "You two just match well. She brings out the best in you, and I think you keep some of her humanity. You keep her grounded."

Cisco smiled and looked over at the sleeping CEO. Tala looked younger in her sleep, the stress she didn't notice of being the CEO to a huge company that had a bad name, the stress of keeping a secret identity and whatever else she had troubling her melted off of her while she slept.

"She tries to carry too much. She's carrying us, her company, the weight of two losses in a month, and her team back in Starling. I should ask Felicity to have the Arrow call her and check in more often. But first we need to worry about Barry." Caitlin nodded, going back over her notes. Cisco pulled over Tala's tablet and started working on Sparky's metafile for her.

Barry came back after just over an hour, walking quietly so he didn't wake Tala. He walked over and looked at his suit wistfully.

"You think I'll ever wear it again?" He asked Caitlin who came up behind him.

"I hope so," She said, smiling softly.

"I didn't have my speed for very long, but now that it's gone, it feels like a part of me is gone too," He said, unburdening himself a little bit.

"With or without your speed, you're still you Barry," Caitlin said, rubbing her hand along his arm, trying to cheer him up.

"But I'm not. I'm not the best version of me. I love being the Flash. I love everything about it, the feeling of running hundreds of miles an hour, wind and power just rushing past my face. Being able to help people. I'm not sure I can live without it Caitlin," Barry sighed, looking at her sadly. He glanced over to where Tala was still sleeping, oblivious to his struggle. He saw her try and save him. He was grateful.

"Farooq Gibran," Cisco said, making Tala sit up and look around bleary eyed.

"Wha?" She asked, rubbing her forehead.

"Who?" Barry asked, turning to face Cisco.

"The powers vampire who jacked your speed. Tala and I set up a camera in her choker that caught his face. It was easy to find a match from there," He said, passing Barry and Caitlin a tablet, glancing over at Tala who got up and shuffled over, stretching as she moved.

"He climbed an electrical tower the night of the accelerator explosion," Barry surmised from the article.

"That's dumb to do on a non exploding day," Tala mumbled, leaning against Cisco.

"No surprise where his powers came from then," Caitlin said. Tala started when the computers started beeping. Cisco ran over to check, Tala moving to fall in step behind him. She peered over his shoulder at the security footage showing outside the building. It was Farooq.

"You've got to be kidding!" She and Cisco said together, looking at the screen in shock.

"This is so not happening," Cisco said, blinking rapidly. Tala groaned and pulled her armor, stretching as she tried to wake up more.

"Doctor Harrison Wells!" Farooq shouted. "I need to see you!" Tala shook her head and pulled up her hood, sliding her mask into place. She pushed, forcing her powers to cover her, and the three of her teammates in front of her. She nodded, knowing they would be protected. "Come on, I know you're inside, open the door! I just wanna talk, Doctor Wells."

Tala looked around as the lights started flickering. She groaned when the power went out. She pushed her powers out as far as they would go, hoping to notice Farooq before he noticed them.

"Barry, you need to promise me you'll protect Cisco and Caitlin," Tala said. She reached down into her quiver and pulled out a small handgun. She pressed it into Barry's hands. "If I go down, you shoot, no questions asked. The only way I'm going down is if I'm dead, so you need to promise me." She glared at him, standing firmly in front of Cisco. He swallowed thickly before nodding and taking the gun. The building shook and Tala grabbed Cisco tightly, pulling him against her. She pressed a dagger into his hand, kissing him on the shoulder.

"He's inside," Barry said, looking toward the only entrance to the cortex. Tala took a deep breath and centered herself, not letting her emotions or her fear get in the way of the mission - put down Sparky before Sparky hurts Cisco. Tala herded everyone toward Caitlin's office and stood at the door, barking at Barry to call Joe. After three tries, he called Singh.

"Wait, Captain Singh, I've been trying to get in touch with Joe, or anyone at the precinct." Tala couldn't hear the other end of the conversation. "Wait-" Barry looked at the phone in his hand, Singh ended the call.

"Joe and Iris are in trouble. I need my powers back now," Barry said, looking at Harrison who had entered moments ago.

"I have a theory, it's untested," Harrison said, looking at Barry.

"I'm willing to roll the dice," Barry said, his emotions clouding his judgment. Tala squinted at him, trying to figure out what Harrison was talking about.

"Okay, you've lost your speed, yes. But nothing has changed inside you on a subatomic level. In other words, your cells are still primed."

"They just need a jumpstart," Cisco concluded. He nodded at Tala, who turned slightly to keep an eye on what they did to Barry.

"Alright, how do we jump-start me?" Barry asked, looking between Harrison and Cisco.

"Replicate the initial jolt," Tala said, looking nervously at Caitlin. "The bolt of lightning that struck you the night of the accelerator explosion.

"But that would mean a peak current of at least twenty thousand kilo amps!" Cisco said, worried.

"Are you insane? That's more than they give the people in the electric chair!" Caitlin protested.

"Caitlin, with Farooq in the building, we are all looking at a death sentence without Barry's speed," Harrison said. Tala raised her eyebrows.

"I can fight him. I can take him down, either permanently or long enough to dump his ass in the pipeline. Barry will get his speed back, I cannot condone frying Barry when I can fight Sparky," Tala growled, her powers whipping around her.

"Cisco, find a way to jump start Barry. Tala, no, Barry needs to get his speed back to help Joe and Iris. We are not killing Farooq, we are not killing anyone!" Harrison shouted, glaring at her. She felt the energy around him spike angrily.

"The spare generator is offline. If we reboot it, we could get a charge that big." Cisco said, looking apologetically at Tala. She sighed and lowered her hood.

"We'd need something that could transmit the load from the generator to Barry without shorting out," She said, looking at Barry, grinding her teeth.

"The treadmill. My baby could take the charge." Cisco said. Tala didn't doubt him; she smiled at the back of his head. Her Cisco was brilliant.

"What if Barry can't?" Caitlin asked, looking worried.

"That would be up to Mister Allen," Harrison said. Barry turned and walked off. Caitlin asked him where he was going. Tala tried to figure out whether to follow him or to stay with Cisco.

"I'm gonna talk to him," Barry said, surprising everyone in the room.

"Nope. No way," Harrison said, staring at Barry. Tala shook her head.

"Okay, you didn't see him at the substation. He needed to feed. I got super speed out of the particle accelerator blast. But his best friends died. He woke up with a disease," Barry said. When he phrased it like that, Tala could see where he was coming from. Farooq didn't need put down, he needed a hug.

"Earlier today you worked a crime scene where this Metahuman electrocuted an innocent man. He's a murderer!" Harrison yelled. Tala scoffed. "And you are powerless to defend yourself against him"

"Not if I go with him. I can protect Barry." Tala said, looking at Harrison.

"Like you protected him at the substation?" Harrison asked her scathingly. She flinched back, glaring at him.

"He may just need help like I did. I don't need my powers to offer him that. I have to try. Tala, keep them safe." Tala nodded once and snapped to attention. She knew she wasn't in charge, this wasn't her mission. She pulled her hood up and stepped in front of Cisco and Caitlin, drawing her bow. She slowed her breathing and made sure she didn't make a sound.

She tuned out what Barry and Farooq were saying and felt for their vibrational energies. She waited until she felt Farooq's energy spike and knew there was going to be action. He shot Barry with a blast of electricity and Barry flew back into the room. Caitlin ran to check on him while Tala pushed out a wall of matter, blocking the second blast as Cisco shut the door.

"Not sure how long that'll hold for," Cisco said nervously. Tala reinforced it with a second wave of matter.

"As long as you guys need it to," Tala said through clenched teeth.

"Are you done being noble, Mister Allen?" Harrison asked, his energy vibrating fast, hard enough for Tala to notice without trying. "Caitlin, get him on the treadmill. Cisco, bring the generator online. Make sure he gets the charge. Tala, protect them until Barry has his speed back." Tala nodded, still in soldier mode. Her flock was in danger and she was going to protect them.

"What? You're not coming with me?" Cisco asked, looking at Harrison. Caitlin walked off with Barry; Tala hesitated, waiting for Cisco. "I am not leaving you!"

"Listen to me. Of everything I've done in my life, of everything I have invented, my most important creation is the Flash. Barry Allen must have a future, now go! Go," Harrison ordered, looking at Tala when Cisco didn't move. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away, not looking back at Harrison. She knew he had a plan, but she didn't care. Cisco, Barry and Caitlin were her priority. Cisco lead the way, Tala watching his back, her bow still drawn, waiting for Farooq to attack. They went to the generator room to turn the back ups on. Tala waited while Cisco worked, frowning when her phone got a ping on her camera outside the pipeline. They all ran on batteries, so Farooq couldn't knock them out. She opened her phone to look at the feed. Harrison was standing there, letting Girder out. She felt her body tense in surprise. He wasn't paralyzed. She growled low in her throat, annoyed she hadn't seen it before. He was the speedster in the yellow suit that Sarab saw.

"I know it's frustrating, but we will beat him Tala," Cisco assured her, not looking up from his wiring. She put her phone away and smiled in his direction.

"I know. I just wish I could help Barry," Tala said just as Cisco flipped the switch turning the power back on. She let out a sigh.

"It won't stay. I need to make sure it stays on, give me another minute to adjust this." Tala nodded and turned to face the door, aiming her bow. It opened and she tensed, before recognizing Barry and Caitlin's energy signatures. She lowered her bow and lowered the barriers she had placed around the door.

"You're winded, that's not a good sign," Cisco said as they came through the door. Caitlin was supporting Barry.

"I need to draw some blood and find out what happened," Caitlin said, rolling up Barry's sleeve.

"I can't believe he's dead," Barry said, looking at Cait.

"Doctor Wells?" Cisco asked, panic in his voice.

"Tony." Tala said at the same time as her. Barry nodded, a question forming in his eyes. "I felt his energy signature leave the pipeline," She lied, explaining away how she knew.

"He must've got out when the blackout hit," Barry said, causing Cisco to frown.

"No, Harrison let him out. Cisco and I designed the cells to lockdown tighter during a blackout. I'd bet money Harrison offered him his freedom if he could beat Farooq - the hypocrite!" Tala hissed. "He tells me not to go after him, then siccs Tony on him." She growled.

"I released him," Harrison said as he came through the door. Tala brought down her barriers again to let him in. "To divert our intruder's attention while we work on restoring your speed." Tala glared at him.

"You used him as a distraction?" Barry asked incredulously, not believing what his hero was saying. Tala hid a smirk by turning her face so she was in a shadow. She knew Harrison was more than he appeared, she had proof now, and she would bring him down.

"An unnecessary one as it turns out, it seems the plan has failed."

"I have his blood on me. How could you do that?" Barry asked shakily.

"You're showing a lot of sentiment for a man who tormented you as a child," Harrison said callously. Tala growled audibly.

"I am the only assassin here Wells. I am the only one allowed to have this sort of disregard for human life. Even I know that Tony didn't deserve to die," She hissed in a low voice.

"Does Cisco?" Tala stopped short and looked at Cisco with a gentle smile, hidden by the shadow she was in. "Or Caitlin or me or Barry? I had a choice to make, him or us. I chose us without a second thought."

"You could've sent me!" Tala shouted. "I am an assassin, a soldier. That means damn whatever happens to me as long as the one I love is safe." Behind Tala, a barrier started creeping up around Cisco, protecting him.

"All your talk about miracle cures and scientific breakthroughs, but you don't care about people at all!" Barry jumped back in, sending Harrison a dirty look.

"Maybe you care too much Barry, being a hero is important to you. I respect your ideals, I just don't have the luxury of sharing them."

"I forgot, your game is chess," Barry said scathingly. Tala was reminded strongly of her father when she looked at Harrison. He was a chess master - not caring about the pawns, as long as the king was protected and alive, damn all else. Just like Malcolm Merlyn. "We're all just pawns to you. Right? So what's your move, Doctor? Which one of us gets sacrificed next?" Harrison didn't answer. Caitlin started going over Barry's new blood sample.

"We need to get out of the facility. I know somewhere we can go, it's safe, it's impenetrable - only I can get in and out." Tala stated, pulling an arrow out of her quiver and notching it. She could feel Farooq's movements like a lightning storm. He was tracking them.

"We just left him on D Level!" Barry said. Tala shook her head.

"We'll never make it to the main entrance from here," Caitlin said. Tala had a terrible idea.

"Cody's here. In the event of an emergency, my security - Cody - goes to my last known location and waits for me until he is forcibly evicted or evacuated. It was a protocol my father put in place. He's in the garage."

"If we can get to the mobile lab van, Cait can finish her work there en route to your safe house."

"It's my move Mister Allen. And I say we make a run for it." Harrison said, looking intently at Barry. Tala caught his eye and nodded. Her distrust of Harrison aside, she knew that whatever plans he had for Barry, they all needed to be alive for it to happen.

"Oh my God, Barry, look. Your cells are rapidly regenerating," Caitlin exclaimed, looking at her computer.

"I still don't have my speed," Barry said, shaking his head.

"It must be mental. Not physical." Harrison said. Tala begrudgingly agreed with him, knowing that's probably what it was. She still believed he needed the right kind of adrenaline rush to move though.

"Oh, you must have the yips!" Cisco said, making Tala giggle.

"The whats?" Barry asked, completely lost.

"You know, when a second basemen suddenly can't throw to first, or a golfer tried to putt and they get all embarrassed and upset. And that makes the yips worse, and it's a hot mess and they feel like even more of a failure," Cisco explained.

"That's not helping!" Barry said.

"Cisco, you just made two sports references, Dante would be so proud," Tala whispered to him, making him smile at her. Caitlin stood and turned Barry to face her.

"Look, you asked if I believed you were struck by lightning for a reason, if you were chosen. I believe. You should too," Caitlin said, looking at Barry. There was thumping coming from nearby. Tala tightened her grip on her bow.

"Let's move," Harrison said, already wheeling himself toward the door. Caitlin grabbed her laptop and followed quickly. Barry covered her back, while Tala took the rear, hovering behind Cisco. They quickly and quietly hurried to the garage, where Cody was standing, leaning against his car.

"Cody, get in that van. Help Cisco start it. Don't ask questions, there's no time," Tala barked as she entered the room. Cody looked at her in shock.

"You're the?" He started, blinking.

"Yes, I have been for years. This shouldn't be surprising. We're all about to be electrocuted to death, now help Cisco!" She shouted, throwing her arrow back in the quiver and tossing the bow to Caitlin who nearly dropped it. Tala used both hands to throw a barrier up to protect them from Farooq. She layered several walls, pressing them tightly, drawing a one handed sword. "Cait, there's a trigger near the grip, hit that and it'll shrink."

"Second van, keys are inside!" Cisco shouted to Cody. Cody jumped in the driver's seat, with Cisco falling a few steps behind. Barry moved to open the back for the rest of them to jump in.

"Get in, come on!" Barry shouted. The battery of the car died, and the garage door stopped halfway. Tala groaned and drew an explosive arrow, snapped it in half, and threw it at the door. It stuck, and exploded, blowing the rest of the door off, giving them an easy escape. She glanced behind her, and saw that Harrison's chair died too.

"He's here," Tala said, glancing over her shoulder at her friends. She adjusted her grip on her sword, as Farooq blasted his way through her barriers. She flew backwards, skidding along the floor like a ragdoll. She groaned feeling her right shoulder dislocate. Caitlin threw Tala her bow as Farooq blasted the van. Tala barely saw Cody and Barry throw themselves away from the explosion. Tala stood and grabbed her bow, ignoring the pain as she notched an arrow and let it fly toward the Metahuman. Caitlin ran toward Barry, checking him to make sure he was alright. Tala launched two more arrows at Farooq. "Cody, get Cisco and them out of here! Move it!"

Cody moved and stood in front of Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin who were all huddling against the van. Harrison was left sitting in the open. Tala looked over at Cisco and got blasted in the half second she wasn't paying attention. She landed next to Harrison, shaking with electric shocks. Farooq went to shoot at Tala's friends when Harrison shouted out.

"Hey! You're here for me." Tala leaned against the wheelchair, trying to stand and pull out her bow. She couldn't. She looked at Cody and motioned for him to pull them all back.

"Finally you show your face," Farooq said, turning to face the two of them.

"Well, I wasn't exactly eager to be killed," Harrison said as Tala took a deep breath and braced her legs as she pulled herself to her feet. She grabbed her bow, frowning when she saw the bowstring had snapped.

"Neither were my friends," Farooq argued. Cody physically grabbed and pulled Cisco back against the van, before moving Caitlin and Barry. He placed himself in a position to protect Cisco if the Metahuman attacked them.

"I know. I hurt a lot of people that night," Harrison said softly, trying to defuse the situation.

"People? You don't even know their names!"

"Jake Davenport. Darya Kim. Ralph Dibney, Al Rothstein, Grant Emerson, Will Everett, Bea De Costa. Ronnie Raymond. I know the names of every person that died that night. I know they all mattered. And the fact that the world is now deprived of their potential is something that I have to live with for the rest of my life," Harrison said. Tala gripped a dagger, ready to throw it at Farooq when she had a good shot. "But these people, these people have done nothing wrong. You wanna punish me? Fine. Let's do that. But let these people live." Tala felt her muscles twitching and knew she wouldn't be able to hit Farooq. She tensed, ready to throw herself in front of Harrison. She didn't trust him, not at all, but she needed to know why he was lying about his paralysis.

"You died that night too." Farooq threw a blast of electricity, but aimed for the floor in front of Harrison. It threw him and Tala backwards, sending them rolling. Tala screamed out in pain when she landed on her dislocated shoulder. She heard Cisco and Barry scream out. She saw Cody grab Cisco and keep him back against the van. Tala groaned and forced herself to kneel, grinding her teeth. "You just didn't know it until today." Tala knelt in front of Harrison, determined to save him the way she couldn't save Barry. She watched the electricity come flying at her, and felt a whoosh of wind as Barry got his speed back in time to pull Harrison out of the way. He grabbed her just as the lightning hit. She screamed in pain, falling unconscious as Barry placed her in Cisco's arms.

Barry reappeared in the garage wearing his flash suit. Cody raised his eyebrow, standing in front of his unconscious boss who was apparently a vigilante. He watched as the Flash dodged the blasts of lightning the crazed metahuman was throwing. Cody flinched when the Flash was hit, first by one beam, then by another. He watched as both men fell to their knees. Energy appeared to be flowing between them both. Cody watched as the light show stopped suddenly, leaving Farooq dead on the floor. The Flash was panting, sitting back on his heels. Suddenly, after saying something, the Flash sped off, running out of the garage and toward town.

"What can I do to help, sir?" Cody asked, looking down at where Cisco was sitting, cradling Tala's head.

"See if you can get a charge in Doctor Wells' chair. He needs it. I'll take Tala back to the cortex and hook her up to an IV until she wakes up," Cisco said, lifting her head so he could stand and pick her up. Cody nodded and moved over to the chair, righting it and glancing at the battery pack. It was fully charged. He carried it over to where Doctor Wells was sitting next to Caitlin. Harrison thanked him as he climbed into the chair, adjusting his legs as he did. Caitlin moved to look Farooq over, while Cisco made his way up to the cortex.

"You are going to get yourself killed, Wolfie," He whispered to her sleeping form in the empty hallway. "Why do you insist on being the one to take the hit? That is something I'm going to have to talk you out of." He shook his head and placed her on the bed, draping the blanket over her legs. He pushed her hood down and took off her mask, placing it on the small table. He rolled her onto her side and unzipped the zipper, pulling her out of her suit, leaving her in a sports bra. He attached the sensors to her, intending to fix the power as soon as he could. Cisco apologized to her before sticking the IV needle in her arm. He hung a saline bag up on the stand before moving over to a locked drawer. He pulled out a syringe of water from the Lazarus pit, injecting it into the tube. "You rest and heal. I'm going to turn on the power. Don't move until I get back."

Cisco found Doctor Wells, Barry, Cody and Caitlin at the entrance to the pipeline. Caitlin handed him the tablet with Tala's metafiles, before zipping the body bag up.

"We could've called him Blackout," Cisco said, looking the file, reading out Tala's note on potential Metanames.

"He had a name, Cisco," Harrison said softly.

"I'm still not sure what happened," Barry said. "Why didn't he just siphon off my powers like before?"

"Because, you finally stopped thinking about your powers, and just connected to them. Look." Caitlin pulled out her tablet, and showed them all a sample of Barry's blood. "This is a sample of your blood from just after you were struck by lightning. Now, your cells are generating more energy than ever before. It was more energy than the Meta could safely handle. It's almost like he choked on you," She explained.

"What does that mean?" Cisco asked, looking at Caitlin. Cody had no idea what was going on, but knew he wasn't going to be able to tell anyone, not even Kyle.

"I think it means he kicked it up a notch," Harrison said, smiling at Barry. Cody followed Cisco and Caitlin to the cortex to check on Tala.

"You think she'll be alright?" Cisco asked Caitlin as she checked her over. He held the sleeping woman's hand, trying to stay out of the Doctor's way.

"She'll sleep a lot, she might get a random bout of shakes, but Barry got her out of the way in time," Caitlin said, drawing a bit of blood. "What are we going to do about him?" She asked, gesturing over to Cody, who was leaning against a wall, casually watching over Tala's sleeping form.

"I've signed too many privacy agreements to tell anyone anything I learned here today. Tala will probably come up with another one for me to sign and make me swear to not even tell my husband," He said, looking at Cisco with a 'what can you do' look.

"Husband? You're married?" Cisco asked in surprise.

"Cody James married to Kyle James, Tala's personal assistant. We've been together four years in December. Kyle wanted a winter wedding," Cody smiled, looking at his wedding ring.

"I didn't know either at first," Tala said shakily from the bed. She grinned up at Cisco and Cait. "I didn't even realize their last names were the same."

Tala stuttered and shook slightly as Caitlin raised the bed into a sitting position. She groaned when she waved Cody over. He walked over and stood next to Cisco.

"Thank you for protecting him. Thank you for not freaking out about Sparky and me. As long as you swear not to tell anyone, we're fine. You can tell Kyle about me, just don't mention anything about the Flash. I trust you. Now go home. Cisco and I will take a Star Labs van home in a bit. And I'm staying in bed tomorrow, at least until these shakes stop. Take tomorrow off, Kyle too. My treat." Cody smiled and nodded, leaving the building.

"How are you feeling, Tala?" Caitlin asked, listening to her heartbeat.

"Like I was tazed by half the police force. How's Iris?" Tala asked, looking to Cisco.

"She's fine. She shot the clock king in the leg, Eddie is in the hospital but he'll be fine in a few days. You are the one we're worried about," Cisco said, poking her shoulder. Tala laughed, groaning.

"Cait, can you relocate my shoulder? It dislocated the first time Farooq sent me flying down in the garage. Right side." Caitlin looked, noticing a slight purple tint starting to appear.

"This will hurt." Caitlin said, moving around the bed to position herself to pop the joint back into place.

"No more than getting hit by lightning twice, ahh!" Tala screamed at her shoulder clicked into place. Tala made a fist with her right hand. "Thank you Caitlin. That feels so much better."

"Can I take her home? She probably wants a shower and to go to bed," Cisco said, taking Tala's hand. Caitlin nodded and helped Tala sit up, helping her get into a Star Labs sweater and sweat pants. Tala smiled at her friends and stuttered her thanks to Cait as Cisco picked her up.

Tala hummed happily as the hot water ran through her hair. Cisco kept her balanced as she quickly washed.

"Thank you for taking care of me. I probably wouldn't be able to do this without you."

"I care about you, Tala, a lot. And you were trying to save us, so that makes you a hero in my books." Cisco said as he helped her dry off, before carrying her to the bed. Tala stretched out while Cisco stripped down to his boxers. She cuddled into his chest when he laid down next to her. He rubbed his hand along her arm as another tremor wracked through her body. She drifted off to sleep feeling warm and loved.

Tala sat upright in the middle of the night, a tremor shaking her body. Sarab was in her living room again. She shook as she went down the stairs, trying not to fall.

"You look like hell," He said as a greeting. She glared at him, leaning against the couch.

"Wells isn't paralyzed. I caught him on video walking. Be careful," She responded in Japanese. He nodded at the warning.

"We saw him studying a sample of blood. We heard the name, Farooq." The'eb Sagheer ground her teeth in annoyance.

"Blackout. He stole the Flash's speed. Wells wants to replicate that. If he gets anywhere, destroy it. Understood?"

Sarab nodded, turned and left. Tala sank against the wall, her leg twitching painfully. She crawled over to the stairs, using the banister to pull herself up to the second floor. She fell back asleep seconds after curling back up with Cisco.


	10. 110 Flash vs Arrow

"Should I pack the blue skirt set, or actually wear a different color for once?" Tala asked Cisco as she held open the closet doors. She peered in with an annoyed expression, looking for an outfit for the rebranding ceremony and one for the party that night that Palmer Technologies was holding.

"Or you could wear this," Cisco said, causing Tala to turn. He was holding a garment bag and a shoebox. Tala arched her eyebrow in an unasked question. "Between Caitlin and Cynthia giving you so much packing advice, I was able to pick you out a dress for the party. It isn't your usual color, but I think you will look amazing in it."

Tala smiled before leaping for the bag and box. She may have been an assassin, soldier, metahuman vigilante, but she was still a girl that got excited over gifts. She unzipped the bag and gasped, seeing a purple dress with a silver corseted top. It had a low scooped back, and looked as though it would cling to her like a second skin. She reached out to open the shoebox, and felt her mouth fall open in surprise. She had been eyeing them every time she went shopping, loving the way they look without really having a need to buy them. They were silver platform heels, completely covered in sequins that were laid out in an ombre from white to dark silver, with a small white strap around her ankle.

"I saw you looking at them last time we were at the mall. And since you insist on paying all of us, I might as well use my money, since the League is still paying for everything here. Are they ever going to stop doing that?" Cisco asked, tossing another shirt in the suitcase. Tala shrugged, not really wanting to tell him that she had taken over paying the bills when she woke up. The league was only going to provide for him while she was in the coma. She walked over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you, for the dress and the shoes. I love them." She hung the garment bag up on the door before looking into the closet again. "I think I will wear the simple, tried and true, black skirt, white top, for the rebranding ceremony. Can't go wrong with that. Alright, let's head to Star Labs, I don't want to think about this until we have to leave. Cody and Kyle already have lodging and the jet is ready, we just need to get there." Tala shook her head and straightened her tank top under her leather jacket. She held her hand out for Cisco to take before heading to where Cody was waiting with the car.

"After I drop you two off at Star Labs, I'm coming back to the house to take your things to the jet. Is everything in your rooms?" Cody asked as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Everything is in Cisco's room. The black suitcase laying on the bed, the two shoe boxes next to it, and the two garment bags hanging on the closet doors." Tala rattled off, thinking about it.

"I'll probably bring my weapons bag and suit, just because I feel better keeping it close, but I'll bring that from the labs directly to the jet. Are you and Kyle ready to go?" Tala asked, pulling up their itinerary for the trip.

"Kyle is excited. He has family in Starling he's hoping to visit." Cody said, glancing back in the rearview mirror.

"You two can sightsee and visit, as long as you're both there for the ceremony and the party. Outside of those, have fun. You know I can take care of myself." Cody laughed at that, nodding.

Tala perched herself on a chair, two monitors in front of her. One was for what needed to be done there in Central City, the other for what she needed to do in Starling. She rolled her eyes and signed the document in front of her, passing it to Cisco to sign. She smiled when an alarm went off.

"Finally, a distraction!" She said, moving to stand behind Cisco, wondering what was going on.

"Barry, there's a bank robbery in progress at Cunningham and Sampere." Cisco told the speedster.

"I got it." Barry said. Caitlin walked into the cortex from her office.

"Wait, that's where I bank," She said, concerned.

"Once super thieves showed up, I went mattress." Cisco said. Tala snorted.

"Koneko, you have an offshore account, in a bank that doesn't have a physical location." Tala said, rolling her eyes.

"How is that possible?" Caitlin asked.

"It's all virtually done. Can't be hacked either, Felicity and I tried. She was paid very nicely to make sure it didn't have any exploitable loopholes. Her and about seven other hackers were told to try and keep the other seven out. Since no one was trying to get in, there are eight different styles of code and firewalls someone has to break without getting noticed before they can look at anyone's account." Cisco looked at her, impressed.

"That's scary secure." Caitlin said. "Hey, what should I wear to the thing?"

"At this point, anything. Just make sure Cody gets your bags so he can toss them on the jet. Cisco bought me a new dress for the party. Oh! And I got us these!" Tala reached for her purse, pulling out a long jewelry box. She opened it to reveal two sets of earrings and two sets of cufflinks. "Harrison said he couldn't make it to Starling, so it'll just be us four. They're matching for the team." Cisco looked at the miniature Flash emblems, remade in silver and mother of pearl.

"These are so cool!" He said, picking one up to look at it.

"They're mini GPS devices, just in case things go bad. And they match Cisco's emblem for the suit, so we show a united, and subtle front." Tala smiled as she put them back in her purse, just as Barry rushed in, clutching an empty container of fries from Big Belly Burger. "Dude, where's mine?"

"That wasn't even mine, I stole Captain Singh's." Barry said, grinning, making Cisco and Tala start laughing. "Hey, so at the bank this morning, I think the people there got whammied. They were all trying to kill each other, and didn't snap out of it until just after I got there."

"Anger, hate, aggression." Harrison said as he wheeled himself in from Cait's lab.

"A Jedi craves not these things." Cisco said, imitating Yoda. Tala snorted, reaching across Barry to high five him. "No one else is feeling that quote?" Tala shrugged.

"Everyone in the bank went like total savage for like five minutes. And then they were fine again." Barry said, looking confused.

"Anger can be a powerful emotion." Harrison started, turning to face Barry. "If this metahuman can engender irrational feelings of anger in his victims, he can do a lot of damage."

Tala opened a new metafile, and started writing what they knew. She added a few questions she had. Why anger? Was it only anger he could create, or could he replicate any emotion? What happened to him at the time of the explosion that made this his power? Tala shrugged to herself on her last question and turned back to the conversation.

"Detective West helped me get a copy of the CAT scans the hospital did on everyone in the bank. Take a look." Caitlin plugged in the USB memory stick and pulled open the files. Tala pulled a copy from their server and dropped them into the metafile, under victims.

"The emotion centers of the brains are still showing signs of being overwhelmed." Tala said, looking at them from her tablet.

"Particularly the area that controls executive function. That's the part that stops people from doing whatever random and potentially destructive things that pop into their head." Caitlin explained.

"So how does the meta do it?" Barry asked, turning to face Caitlin.

"That's the half-a-million dollar question," Cait said, smiling ruefully at the speedster. Barry's phone buzzed, making Tala look up, hoping to get to punch something.

"Hey if you guys figure it out, just give me a call, okay?"

"Is the Flash off to another rooftop rendezvous with Iris?" Tala asked, looking at him.

"No." Tala and Caitlin pinned him with a stare. "Yeah, but she probably just wants to ask me, you know, him, about metahuman stuff for her blog."

"Do you want some advice?" Caitlin said, after sharing a look with Tala. "Don't get involved, as the Flash, or yourself. You don't want to be the one to blame for their breakup."

"I hear you." He said, zooming out.

"You know, I don't think he does. That boy is dense as my brother sometimes." Tala commented, passing another document over for Cisco to sign. After he passed it back, their computer systems went off. "Oh, the police tracker in the cash, it's got a signal! Cisco, call Barry."

"Barry, you there? Police got a ping from the tracer in the stolen cash." Cisco said into the comms. "SWAT team is closing in on the 1600 block of Pass."

"Now stop ruining Iris's love life and go." Caitlin said. Tala snorted. She leaned over to Cisco and whispered to him in Spanish.

"If I didn't know better, I would swear she is jealous!" Cisco looked at Tala before cracking up, making Tala laugh too. She forced herself to sober up when she saw Barry's GPS near the SWAT team. "I should be there. But no, he had to go visit Iris," Tala pouted, back in English.

Tala watched as Barry's GPS tracker went back to Jitters, and huffed.

"I think he's done with the bad guy for the night, he's back to ruining Iris's relationship." Tala switched over to her company email, reading through a few different things. Cisco and Caitlin went to work on some project - Tala thought it was something to do with Barry's inability to get drunk. She sighed and laid her head down on the keyboard, yawning. She sat up when Barry sped back in. She blinked a few times, realizing she'd fallen asleep.

"I think, my shirt's on fire!" Tala looked down at her shirt in confusion before looking at Barry, and Felicity. Felicity pulled her shirt off, throwing it to the floor. Cisco and Caitlin walked in, startled and bemused. Cisco was staring at the topless Felicity. "I'm glad I decided not to go braless!" She said.

"I'm not." Tala said from behind her, making the blonde turn. Tala grinned and stood, walking over to her team, tugging on Felicity's ponytail as she passed.

"You guys remember Felicity." Barry said, turning to face Cisco and Caitlin. Felicity was holding her bag up to cover herself.

"I'll always remember this." Cisco said, making Tala giggle. She stole the other half of his redvine as Caitlin gave Felicity the Star Labs sweater hanging on the chair next to the door. Felicity pulled it on gratefully.

"Hi, Felicity. It's so good to see you again. What brings you to Central City? Not Barry." Caitlin asked, looking between the two of them, wondering if Barry ran all the way to Starling to get Felicity.

"No, not Barry. This? Not happening." Felicity rambled. "We looked down that road and said 'No thank you.'"

"Glasses, she meant did Barry run all the way to Starling to get you." Tala said, leaning against Cisco.

"Oh, no. I was already in town. I'm here because of this." Felicity pulled a boomerang out of her bag, making Cisco and Tala gasp in excitement.

"Awesome! What are the wings made out of?" Cisco asked, pulling it out of the bag.

"Is it a composite plastic? I don't think metal unless aerated would fly too well." Tala chipped it, reaching over to touch the wing. "Definitely reinforced with Carbon Fiber." She said, feeling it.

"That's weird, it almost feels like its-"

"Vibrating?" Felicity finished. Tala bounced on her toes.

"I need to run so many tests!" She cheered, following Cisco and Felicity to the connected work lab.

"And we need to run them now!" Cisco said, grinning at her. The trio went and started analyzing the boomerang.

"It's ridiculously well balanced!" Tala said, balancing it by its edge on her finger. "Have you seen how the perp throws them? I almost want to throw it like one of my stars."

"Tala! Doctor Wells wants to see you and Barry." Caitlin said, pulling her away from her friends with a pout. She walked in to find Barry already there talking with Joe.

"I know he's wanted for murder in twelve different cases dating back three years." Joe said. He looked at Tala and nodded in greeting.

"Actually, only about five of those were his. SCPD just grouped them all into one file after I moved out here. My brother doesn't kill people anymore - he changed when he and I lost a close friend during the undertaking." Tala said shortly, trying not to growl.

"I know there's been at least two major terrorist attacks in Starling since he went active." Harrison said.

"One of which was committed by my father, and was planned five years before it happened, so you cannot lay that at my brother's feet. As for Slade Wilson's Mirakuru soldiers, Slade had a personal vendetta against Oliver Queen for, as I understand it, something that happened to him on Lian Yu. Had Ollie settled down here in Central City after returning from being a castaway, Starling still would've been hit by the earthquake, and Slade would've attacked here. You cannot blame the Arrow for those." Tala growled, angry at these people attacking her family's honor.

"He's a hero!" Barry said, placing a hand on Tala's shoulder.

"You're a hero Barry. What that man does is carry out a dark reckoning for his city. It is a brutal, violent vision of justice, one we do not share. You truly think he is a hero, fine. But he is not one you should look up to. And you, Tala, your brother died in the Undertaking, you have no brother, and should not continue considering this murderer as one." Tala snarled at Harrison, moving to attack him, her armor appearing around her. Barry grabbed her arm, pulling her backwards, against his chest. Tala heard glass shattering and ran into the cortex, pulling out her sword and a dagger. She entered the room to find Caitlin screaming, being chased by the boomerang. Tala threw her dagger, hitting the deadly weapon and pinned it to the wall. Cisco and Felicity came out of their lab, looking sheepish. Cisco pointed to the boomerang.

"That's my bad. That's on me." Tala coughed, trying not to laugh, pulling her hood down. She sheathed her sword.

"I want that Arrow out of my city, tonight." Joe said to Barry, and Tala tensed.

"What about me Detective? Are you going to run me out too?" Tala shouted across the cortex, glaring at him. She stormed out of the building, not bothering to change out of her suit. She went to her house, walking, despite the distance. Cisco managed to beat her there.

"What was that about? Yelling at Joe then vanishing? I've been calling you for the past hour!" Cisco yelled as she entered the front door. Tala growled and flicked a knife out, throwing it point first into the dining table, startling Cisco into silence. Cody and Kyle just looked at her.

"Joe wants my brother, the Arrow out of Central City. He and Harrison made it very clear what they think of who I used to be. I stopped killing for you, Cisco. So you wouldn't see me as a murderer. The only life I've taken since moving here was Mardon's, and Joe shot him twice anyway. I am a killer, trained to be one and will probably end up as Ra's Al Ghul before I die. If they're so quick to kick him out of town, how fast will they run me out with pitchforks and a noose the next time I take a life?" Cisco walked around the table and pulled her into his arms.

"Your brother is not a bad person. Joe and Harrison are just uncomfortable not knowing who the Arrow is. And they will not run you out of town. Barry, Cait and I would not let that happen, no matter what you did. Do you understand?" Cisco asked, and Tala felt her temper ebb away, enough for her to push her suit back to her trunk in Star Labs.

"Thank you, Koneko. Cody, Kyle, we have a metahuman issue, then we will be heading over there. Once this super rageaholic is dealt with, we will leave for Starling. Why don't you two go home, Cody, take the week until we need to leave, I'll call you, yeah? Between the Flash and the Arrow, there are too many masks to drag civilians into this hot mess." Tala said, sinking into the chair next to her. Cody and Kyle smiled and nodded, leaving after patting Tala on the back. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Let's get some sleep. Ollie wants to meet me at Jitters in the morning, and I'm going to need coffee before I go get coffee."

Cisco laughed, taking her hand and leading her upstairs. Tala quickly stripped, pulling on a shirt of Cisco's before collapsing on the bed.

"Only you could need that much coffee in a day. Get some sleep. Your brother is family, we won't let anyone get rid of him." Cisco said as he ran his fingers through her hair, absently noting it was getting longer. Cynthia would probably touch up the roots on the blue portion, as well as refresh the color, which was starting to fade. Tala fell asleep quickly, drifting away in Morpheus's grasp. Cisco gently pressed a kiss to her forehead before following her off to sleep.

Tala groaned as she pulled on her fingerless gloves. Cisco laughed at her reluctance to go before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"I'll have your thermos refilled and waiting for you at Star Labs when you get there. Now go have coffee with your brother." Tala handed him her empty thermos, watching as he went back into the house, still wearing sleep pants. She kicked her bike to life and sped out of the driveway, racing to Jitters. She hopped the curb as she parked, knocking down her kickstand and pulling her helmet off, letting her hair fall around her shoulders. She opened the door to the coffee shop and called out a greeting to Iris and the cute blonde barista behind the register.

"Strong and sweet, on it Tala!" The blonde girl called, blushing as the Merlyn heiress winked at her.

"Sister, it's been too long." Oliver said, standing up from where he was sitting with Felicity. Tala grinned and took two steps before jumping on him, hugging him.

"Ollie! I've missed you so much." Oliver hugged her back, getting his balance back from her surprise attack. "How's Thea?"

"Surprised she got a mention in your latest press conference, and annoyed she was invited to the rebranding." He said, leading her to their table.

"Yeah, well she needs to be there as a Merlyn, and you lot need to be there as my family. Lyla and Dig are coming; I want you two there too. Mostly to prevent me from punching Ray Palmer. He's always rubbed me the wrong way. He's great, I just don't like him." The blonde girl brought Tala her coffee and a doughnut on a napkin, with her number on it. Tala raised an eyebrow, before looking at the girl's blushing cheeks and winking at her.

"Charming the baristas again Tala?" Felicity laughed, sipping her brew.

"She started two days ago, and I complimented her on her choice of earrings, which were blue. She's been blushing like that since yesterday." Tala turned as Barry walked in from the back entrance. Tala smiled at him, raising her doughnut in greeting.

"The bad guy you're after, who robbed the bank, his name is Roy G Bivolo." Ollie said, throwing manners out the window.

"Uh, thanks. How did you find that out?" Barry asked, nervous. "The guy's still alive, right?" Tala groaned.

"Ollie doesn't kill anymore, arguably making me the most dangerous person in this city." Tala said, stuffing the last of her doughnut into her mouth, making her look like the least dangerous person in the city.

"Right. I thought you didn't wanna help?" Barry asked.

"I'm not. It's just a name." Oliver said. Iris walked over with Felicity and Oliver's coffees. Tala raised an eyebrow at Iris's behavior.

"One nonfat latte extra sugar for Felicity, and one coffee black, for Oliver. I brewed you a fresh pot." Iris gushed, making Tala stare at the girl like she had an extra head.

"Thank you." Oliver said, noticing the heart eyes that Iris appeared to have grown.

"Yeah," Iris sighed, "Barry, can I talk to you for a moment." She grabbed him and lead him away. Felicity was staring at Oliver over her latte.

"Felicity, this is me noticing you staring." Ollie said, looking at her. Tala tried not to laugh, knowing exactly how this conversation was going to go.

"We need to help Barry with his case." Felicity said. Tala nodded, knowing she was right so far. Now here was when Ollie would say that Barry doesn't either need or want his help. "Why don't you wanna help?"

"Because Barry doesn't really want my help, he just thinks he does." Oliver said, making Tala right again.

"Harrison Wells and Barry's cop foster dad both said you were dangerous, and he stood up for you. And prevented Tala from killing them both." Felicity pointed out.

"You're going to hawk me until I say yes, aren't you?" Ollie said, looking at the blonde.

"I'm a hawker." Felicity smiled.

"Hey, maybe you can help train him to be a better fighter. Nothing I've done has gotten through to him completely." Tala piped up, drinking the last dregs of her coffee. The blonde barista was at Tala's elbow with a fresh cup before she set the empty one down. Tala blinked, very surprised at how quick she was. "Thanks love. I appreciate it."

Oliver stood and walked over to Barry, leaving the girls to talk.

"How are you and Cisco?" Felicity asked, "Any change since I was last here?" Tala shrugged, sipping at the coffee in her hand.

"We both ended up hitting on the same redhead. I won her affection, and then she died, nearly blowing up half the city. Cisco has prevented me from killing people, and I got electrocuted so badly I stuttered for three days. He took care of me when I couldn't stand."

"So complicated, but happily so?" The computer hacker asked, laughing. Tala nodded, smiling fondly.

"I've got to get to the Labs, grab Cisco and head to the office, we leave in three days for that stupid ceremony, and I'm already done with it. I never knew how dad could do it. It's nearly impossible to survive all the paperwork. I hate paperwork. Oh, that reminds me, I got you guys something for the ceremony." Tala reached into her purse and pulled out another jewelry case, revealing three sets of cufflinks and a set of earrings. They were all shaped like silver and blue arrowheads.

"Yours, not Oliver's?" Felicity asked.

"It's my ceremony! Besides, blue is infinitely better than green. I'll leave these with you, alright? I've gotta run."

Tala grabbed her coffee and threw back the rest of it, pulling on her helmet as she left. Iris turned to Caity, the blonde who kept staring after her.

"Girl, you are smitten." Caity turned toward Iris, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Iris laughed. "It's okay, maybe she'll call you."

Tala went to Star Labs, calling Cisco on her comms as she did. He met her out front, hopping on her bike behind her. He groaned as they pulled into the Merlyn building's garage, not excited for the slew of meetings the board had promised them.

Tala walked into Star Labs in sweatpants and a hoodie. Caitlin arched her eyebrows at her, prompting Cisco to explain.

"After sitting through about nine hours of meetings yesterday, she woke up this morning, stabbed my alarm clock, and threw a star at the dress pants she had laid out last night. She told me that if I forced her to wear real clothes that she'd get her brother to put an arrow in me. Even though she was joking, I wasn't going to risk it. She gets to wear sweats." Tala dropped into a chair and stared blankly ahead, sipping at her coffee.

"Is that her first cup? She still looks asleep." Caitlin commented. Cisco shook his head and held up four fingers. "Wow, that must've been some set of meetings."

"I'm going back to working on that boomerang. Tala, you wanted to look at it?" Cisco asked, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and blinked. "Boomerang?"

"Sokka? Oh, yeah. I wanna see it. It's light weight and I want to modify some of my stars to be that light." Tala said, shaking her head, sending her hair everywhere. She brushed it out of her eyes and followed Cisco into the lab. He started running tests on it while Tala flicked it up into the air, letting it fall before catching it. She had a sketchpad in front of her, making notes on a new design for her throwing stars. She balanced the boomerang back on the stand, where Cisco hooked up a few wires, letting the computer check it over. Tala shook her head and walked into the cortex, feeling slightly more awake.

"Have you ever heard of color psychology?" Caitlin asked Felicity as Tala walked into the room. Behind her, she heard Cisco tell the weapon to stay before he walked away from it.

"The theory that changes in the color spectrum can affect emotion." Felicity defined.

"So like seeing more of a specific color can make people happy? I think I heard somewhere that seeing lots of green can make people less depressed and happier. So, what's my brother's reasoning for having a stick up his ass?" Felicity laughed, covering her face with her hands.

"I was thinking that if Bivolo uses color to induce temporary psychosis, maybe we can use light and color to reverse it." Caitlin said, looking between the Starling City girls.

"So, drag the victims to a rave?" Tala asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Miss Smoak." Harrison said, wheeling past the entrance to the cortex. Tala shot him a filthy look. "A word if you please." Tala grabbed the blonde's wrist before she left, giving her a warning look. Felicity nodded before chasing after Doctor Wells. Tala waited for her to return.

"You knew he was going to shoot me?" Barry hissed at Felicity.

"Woah, it is practically impossible to tell when he is making a joke." She defended herself.

"He tried to do the same to me. Testing me, making sure I was aware of my surroundings. I passed the test, and landed a cut on him. He wasn't pleased, but was very proud." Tala chirped.

"Hey, we just got a ping from the facial recognition software on Bivolo, a.k.a. Prism." Cisco said, looking at the monitors next to Tala. She pulled for her suit and grinned as she stretched.

"New suit?" Felicity asked, looking at it. Tala grinned and pulled up her hood, placing her mask on.

"Since when do we have facial recognition software?" Caitlin asked, surprised.

"Happy Hanukkah." Felicity said, smiling.

"Where can we find him?" Barry asked, stepping forward.

"Traffic cameras caught him entering a residence at 168 Jarvis." Cisco said. Tala leaned over and kissed his cheek, her blue lips leaving a stain again.

"We should let the Arrow know." Felicity said as Barry walked over to his suit.

"I can handle this solo, I've done it before." Barry protested. Tala arched her eyebrow. Barry really must not have liked getting shot.

"Barry, I really think you need to-"

"Felicity, I don't need his help. Tala and I can do this." Tala wiggled her fingers, making blue tendrils float around her.

Barry zipped over to his suit and changed, grabbing Tala as he left. They entered the apartment building, and Tala automatically gripped two throwing stars, seriously regretting not having grabbed another bow when she left Starling City. Barry started looking around the first floor while she went upstairs, pushing her powers to cover her eyes, just to make sure she couldn't get whammied. She was short tempered enough right now. Tala didn't want to tempt fate and kill Harrison, or hurt Joe. Tala heard a commotion downstairs and ran, jumping over the banister. She entered the room and saw Bivolo being held by Barry. She threw her stars, grabbing two more. One sunk into his thigh, making him shout in pain. She saw Prism's eyes glow red at Barry and chucked a flash bang at his feet. She grabbed Barry and guided him out of the building.

"Come on, Sarie. Get us back to the Labs, yeah? I need to make sure my little brother didn't get Whammied." Tala laughed, wrapping her arm around his waist. Barry laughed and picked her up, speeding them back to Star Labs. Tala pushed out of her suit and rolled her neck, reaching for the coffee Cisco was holding out for her. Barry sat down and let Cait run a few tests.

"There are no signs of macular damage. Your retina and cornea seem unaffected." She said, looking over to Barry.

"I told you, I'm fine." Barry said. Tala walked over, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"I know. But I wanted to make sure. Humor your big sister." She laughed, grinning at him. Tala truly appreciated Barry standing up for her family in Starling City.

"Tala said Bivolo whammied you, no desire to go all MMA on us?" Felicity asked, looking nervous.

"No. Yeah, I mean something weird happened with his eyes for a second, but Tala got him with a star and threw a flash bang. That did more damage to me than Bivolo did." Barry explained, smiling at Tala. "She's always got my back."

"Weird thing?" Cait asked, looking at the two Metahumans.

"Yeah, they seemed to glow red," Tala said, dropping her empty cup on the desk. "Like the dude was wearing those corny color contacts. But only for a second. Your theory on the color psychology thing was right Thalaj. I'll tell Cisco and have him start helping me create something to unwhammy people."

"Look, obviously his powers don't work on me." Barry said, leaving the medical lab and going toward the cortex.

"It was stupid for you to go out there alone. You take too many risks!" Caitlin said, going into full Mama Bear mode. "As fast as you are, that's going to catch up with you."

"Caitlin, I wasn't alone. Tala was there and had my back the entire time! The only reason Bivolo almost got the drop on me was because I knocked his glasses off his face. Tala was there protecting me, while all of you sat here. I am not Ronnie, you've gotta stop treating me like I am." Barry protested.

"You're right, you're not." Caitlin said before walking away. Tala felt bad for her, but also felt that Barry was right. They both took risks that the rest of the team didn't. They couldn't afford to be babied, when they were the only ones out there fighting the Metahumans. Felicity was giving Barry a hard look.

"What?" Barry asked her, annoyed.

"You are such a lovable dummy." She said, crossing her arms and giving him the same look she gave Ollie when he was being stupid. Barry's phone buzzed.

"It's Oliver. He wants to have another session." Barry said, reading the text out.

"Want me to come, Sarie?" Tala asked, looking at him. Barry turned to her and the hard look on his face softened into a smile.

"No, I think it'll be alright. You stay here and finish things up for your ceremony. I'm all packed by the way, I just need to pick up a tux." Barry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Don't worry about it, Sarie. I'll have Cynthia get you one. I'll use your measurements from your suit. Go, tell my brother I said hi." Tala said, smiling as Barry left.

"Why does he smile at you, but it's all coldness to us?" Felicity asked, looking at Tala who shrugged.

"I don't try and prevent him from doing the stupid shit. I let him make his own mistakes, like Ra's and Nyssa let me make mine. Like my dad let me get cut with his sword instead of not letting it cut me. Ollie only learned from his mistakes when they hurt him. You only learn not to touch the fire once you get burned." Tala said, walking away to find Cisco.

She found him in his lab, looking at his hand. He'd taken the gauze off of it, looking at the cut from the boomerang.

"Let me clean that for you Koneko. Before you get it infected." She said fondly, startling him.

"There you are. I didn't hear you come in." Cisco said, turning and smiling. Tala took his hand and the first aid kit out of the drawer. She pushed at her power, creating a bowl and filling it with water from a sink. "You're getting better control with your powers."

"It helps that I have a reason to want to control it better." Tala said as she dipped the clean cloth into the warm water and started removing the old medicine and the blood around it. She quickly cleaned it up, leaving it just looking like it was already healed before applying a small amount of disinfectant to it, making Cisco hiss in pain. "Sorry, I know it stings."

"As long as it heals before the ceremony. Don't want Cynthia to kill me for not looking perfect." Cisco chuckled as Tala rewrapped his hand, leaving it feeling better than it had earlier.

"I think you always look perfect." She held his hand as they walked up to the cortex. Felicity was just ending a call.

"That was the Arrow, he said Barry was acting strangely." Felicity said just as Tala's phone rang.

"Joe?" She questioned as she answered it. Surprised the detective was calling her.

"Tala, Barry was just at the precinct, he lost it at Singh, before losing it at me, then storming out after he saw Eddie and Iris. What is going on with him?" Joe asked, sounding worried. "Then his eyes flashed red." Tala hit the heel of her hand against her forehead.

"He got whammied. Prism must've gotten him before I could stop him. That explains why he yelled at Cait and my brother. He's lashing out at people, but I'd bet my company he's trying to fight its effects, making it worse. He needs found before he kills Eddie." Tala ended the call and looked at her team, her face set in a grim expression. She pulled for her armor, and turned toward Cisco.

"Find him." Tala said as Joe walked in. She nodded to him.

"Considering his abilities, how do we even stop him?" Joe asked, passing a cup of coffee to her. She took it and smiled accepting the peace offering.

"A cold gun would come in real handy right about now." Cisco said, winking at Tala, who hid her smile behind the coffee cup.

"None of us, except maybe Tala, could stop Barry. Fortunately, Felicity and Tala know someone who can. I think you better call back Oliver Queen." Tala spit her sip of coffee out, staring at Harrison in shock. She exchanged a look with Felicity who shook her head. "We're going to need the Arrow's help." Tala nodded to her slowly, Felicity hit redial.

Ollie and Dig met Tala at the front entrance, where she hugged them both tightly. She led them up to the cortex. She gave them a brief tour, showing them the main points, like her and Cisco's lab, her gym, and finally, the Cortex. Cisco skipped into the room.

"Oh, see, I knew the Arrow was Oliver Queen, well, I had it narrowed down to a list of a hundred fifty people, but he was definitely on that list!" Tala laughed as he winked at her.

"Koneko, you already knew. You don't have to pretend that you didn't." Tala said, wrapping him in a hug from behind. Diggle shot Cisco a disapproving look.

"You have a way to stop Barry's rage fest?" Johnnie asked, glaring at Cisco first, then Harrison.

"I have an idea about how to do that, Joe I'm going to need your help." Harrison said, glancing back at Joe.

"We need to find him before he hurts someone. Tala, who would he be most likely to go after?" Joe asked, looking at the blue vigilante.

"Eddie would be my guess. Even happy Barry doesn't like him all too much. Feelings for Iris and all that." Tala said, resting her chin on Cisco's shoulder.

"I've got him. Facial recognition picked him up on a traffic camera downtown." Tala darted over to look over Felicity's shoulder.

"That's Eddie he's standing over." Tala sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She raced downstairs with Oliver, who tossed her a spare bow, grinning when she made a face about it being green. They mounted their bikes, hoods and masks up and on and sped to get to where Barry was. Tala saw him first, drawing Ollie's bow and shooting him with an Arrow that wrapped him in wires, she passed the bow to Oliver, who had more strength and could hold him better. The Arrow yelled for Iris and Eddie to run.

"You need to calm down, Sarie!" Tala said, her voice distorter on. Barry seemed to sag in the wires, as if she had gotten through to him. "You almost hurt someone you consider a friend. I may let you make your own mistakes, but Iris would never have forgiven you." Tala said, looking at him with a sad smile on her blue lips.

"You need to hold on." Tala's eyes went wide as she realized what he was about to do. Barry took off running, dragging Oliver with him. She looked up to the skies for divine intervention. She chased after them, pulling a tranq arrow out and gripping it tightly.

"I just hope they turn Barry back before he kills Oliver." Tala heard Caitlin say over comms.

"Me, I'd be more worried about what Oliver will do to Barry." Johnnie said.

"Barry has superpowers. Oliver has a bow and arrow." Caitlin scoffed.

"Do you have any idea how many people Oliver has killed with that bow and arrow?" Johnnie asked, making Tala roll her eyes as Oliver stood and shook his head at her. She dropped the tranq back into her quiver and threw a star at him, catching him in the thigh.

"Recurve bows can travel up to three hundred feet per second, so two hundred miles an hour. Barry can run three times that fast." Cisco said.

"Koneko, it's a little hard to fight with you sounding so adorable in my ear. Turn off your microphone!" Tala hissed, grinning slightly. Despite having to fight against her younger brother, she was happy to be working with Ollie again.

"Sorry, didn't realize it was on. Don't die! Love you!" Cisco hit the microphone button, not noticing that Caitlin, Johnnie and Felicity were staring at him. Tala stood there, staring ahead in shock. She mouthed the word Love, before blinking as Oliver shot two arrows behind Barry.

"You missed." Barry boasted, making Tala roll her eyes.

"No." Oliver said, and Tala hit the detonation button on her bow, sending Barry flying forward. Tala moved and pulled Ollie to his feet. They ran around to be behind Barry when he got up, drawing their tranq arrows together. As the speedster stood up, they shot him, each nailing a shoulder.

"Two thousand milligrams of horse tranquilizer." Oliver said, stepping forward.

"Should be hitting you any time now. Ollie, I hate this bow. You shoot right handed. I don't." Tala huffed, glaring at the bow, and rolling her right shoulder, unaccustomed to using it to pull the bowstring back. Barry fell down to one knee, the tranqs doing their jobs. "Also, the team is betting on Arrow vs Flash, I don't even rate a mention." Tala pushed her hands forward, moving to wrap Barry in her powers so he couldn't escape. Barry stood and side stepped the blue tendrils, pulling the two arrows out of his back. He started vibrating, pushing the drugs out of his system. Tala groaned, rolling her eyes. Barry started running in a circle around the two archers, pulling fire from the dumpster. Tala and Oliver fired grappling arrow into the nearby building, pulling themselves up, out of the whirlwind.

Tala reached for the top, getting ready to pull herself up, when Barry was suddenly up there.

"We're not done!" Barry ripped Oliver's arrow out of the building, making him fall.

"Ollie!" Tala screamed as she hit the release on hers and dove after him. She caught him a beat after he fired a second arrow. The two archers landed on the ground, glaring at Barry, who was standing a few feet away.

"Is that all you got?" Barry asked. He charged at them and Tala and Oliver went back to back, trying to land Barry on the ground long enough for Joe and Harrison to get there and fix the speedster.

"Next time, I say we stick to Mirakuru asshats instead of my friends, yeah?" Tala shouted as she swiped Barry's feet out from under him, standing to throw a knife at him as he dodged. Barry moved to face Oliver, who got a good hit in with his bow. Barry stepped back, blinking. Barry moved forward, shoving Tala out of his way as he started raining down punches on the Arrow. Tala rolled along the asphalt, groaning when she felt a bruise blossom on her knee. Tala pulled herself up as Barry knocked Oliver to the ground. She pressed a button on her bow, sending two arrows flying from behind Barry. He turned and caught them.

"Fool me once." Tala and Oliver flicked their smaller arrows at Barry's legs, hamstringing him. Barry fell to the ground on one knee, giving them time to stand and shake the fog from their minds.

"I still believe in you, Barry." Oliver panted. Tala looked over at her friend, hoping he would be back to normal soon. Barry's eyes flashed red and he stalked forward, throwing a punch, which Oliver caught. Tala punched him across the face, stunning him enough for Oliver to spin him around and hold him in place while Joe and Harrison sped into the alley in a van. Tala closed her eyes as the LED lights flashed. Oliver let go of Barry as the lights died, and the speedster stumbled, groaning.

"Barry?" Oliver asked as Tala called him Sarie. Barry turned around to face them, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, this is going to be a special kind of hangover." Barry panted. Tala laughed, moving to hug him tightly. Oliver helped Barry limp over to their bikes, where Tala was going to drive him back to the lab so his hamstring could heal.

"Oliver, I'm so sorry." Barry said, looking at the green vigilante. "Tala, you too."

"You didn't actually try and kill me. It was like, everyone else was pissing you off, except me - which was weird." Tala shrugged.

"We still need to take care of that Metahuman. You got anything left in the tank?" Oliver asked.

"If not, there's three of us." Barry laughed. Tala pulled out one of Cisco's protein bars, tossing it to Barry.

"Or this." Barry ate it quickly and they headed off after Bivolo. He wasn't hard to catch. He was quickly thrown in the pipeline, where he started making threats, his eyes glowing red. Tala scoffed at him, tapping the glass with her fingernail.

"Not gonna happen buddy. Cool your jets."

"Blah Blah blah, no prison can hold me. Heard it all before, pal. Adios Prism." Cisco said, closing the pipeline vault door behind him.

"I liked Rainbow Raider." Caitlin cheered, smiling at Tala over Cisco's head. Tala quickly changed it in the metafile, not letting Cisco see it.

"Okay, you don't get to pick the names." Cisco said, looking at her like she was insane.

"I have a prison like this. Mine's on a nearly inhospitable island in the North China Sea, but this works too." Oliver said, smiling softly. Tala laughed, high fiving him. Tala really enjoyed working with her family like this. Her and Oliver had worked together for long enough to know how the other fought. Her and Barry were getting there. Tala wondered if she could convince Ollie to come out to Central City more often to help her train Barry to fight better.

Tala entered the Cortex as Oliver finished speaking.

"What Oliver means, is that he enjoyed working with you all. And he hopes to do it again some time!" Felicity said, stepping forward and placing her hand on Ollie's shoulder. Tala snickered.

"I'm guessing he was talking about how important his secret identity is? Ollie, I can list at least fifteen people who know who you are. These people work with me and Barry everyday, doing a slightly more insane version of what you do. They won't sell you out, any more than they'd sell me out." Tala said, draping herself over Cisco's shoulders. Oliver smiled at her as Tala sent a loving look at the mechanical engineer. Cisco didn't see it, smiling over at Barry. Felicity walked over to Cait to ask her about some DNA from Sara's murder. Cisco held her hand as her smile faded slightly. Tala wondered if Sara was happy wherever she was. Harrison wheeled over to Oliver, shaking his hand.

"I met your father once, at a Charity event. One of the things we spoke of was you. I think he would be proud of the man you are today." Tala frowned into Cisco's hair before standing fully.

"I'm going to walk them out, meet me in the garage, Koneko?" Cisco nodded, smiling at her before turning to Caitlin. Barry had long since left for Jitters. Tala walked over to Oliver, throwing her arm around his waist.

"There is something off about Doctor Wells." He said in Russian, lowering his voice. "Have you noticed anything?"

"He isn't paralyzed. I've got him on video walking, video from last week. He's obsessed with making the Flash faster, for some reason. When the detective was investigating the murder of Barry's mother, he suspected the Doctor. Suddenly the speedster who murdered her appeared, taking the case files and threatening his daughter. I suspect Wells."

Oliver looked at Tala, surprise on his face. She tapped her ear twice, telling him she had eyes and ears on him.

"Are you guys sure you don't wanna fly back to Starling? There's plenty of room on the jet." Tala offered, looking at her family.

"We drove, so we have cars here that need to get back to Starling. Plus my bike." Ollie said, pulling Tala into a tight hug. "Can I call on you to have my back when you're there?"

She smiled at him, hugging him back.

"All three of you, only need to call and I will be there. For anything you need, no matter the cost. You're my family." Tala reached over and cupped Felicity's cheek, before moving to hug Johnnie. "I'm gonna bring Cisco over at some point for dinner with you and Lyla. I miss baby Sara."

Tala waved as they loaded into their car, and Oliver hopped on his bike. They headed into town. Tala turned and walked back into the building, summoning the elevator to get to the garage. Cisco was standing there holding her helmet and her weapons bag. She grinned as she fastened it to the bike, before pulling on her helmet. She handed Cisco his, one she had Cody get for him. Decorated in burgundy and yellow, he gaped at it in open-mouthed shock. He smiled, pulling it on. Tala climbed on, letting Cisco get on behind her. She kicked the bike to life as Cisco wrapped his arms around her waist, before speeding towards the airport.


	11. 111 The Brave and The Bold

Tala rolled her shoulders as she looked out the window of her Jet. Caitlin and Cisco were debating the amount of bugs Barry swallowed in a day of running, but she was thinking about what Oliver said about Harrison. If he could tell something was off about Doctor Wells, then she knew she had reason to be worried.

"What do you think Tala?" Caitlin called out, causing Tala to look over, startled.

"I wasn't listening, sorry guys." Tala made a face, glancing back to the tablet in her lab with a list of things she needed to accomplish before the ceremony. Namely, make sure the press was there. "Hey Kyle, can I foist some of this onto your plate? I really have no idea how to arrange a press contingent. Or any of this actually."

"Boss, I think there are days you don't know how to run a company." Kyle laughed, looking over to her. Tala nodded, completely agreeing.

"I'm an engineer, not a CEO. I was always hoping Dad would pass the company on to a grandchild, not me. But such is life. If I send you some of this, can you and Cody deal with it? I'm also thinking of scratching security completely, because between us and Team Arrow coming, we're going to have five masks, and at least two, maybe three fully trained assassins."

"Three trained assassins?" Caitlin asked, running through the list of people she knew to be coming.

"Me, obviously, Thea has been trained by my father, and my father said he might make an appearance." Tala shrugged, not noticing that Kyle and Cody turned to face her with confusion. "Despite what everyone likes to think, and despite taking an arrow through the heart, Malcolm Merlyn is not dead."

Kyle looked over to Cisco and Caitlin for confirmation, turning back to Tala when they both nodded.

"How did he survive that?" Cody asked, rubbing his chest above his heart, as if trying to imagine it.

"Same way I survived having my spine shattered. Damn luck. And waters from this magical fountain in the temple of the home of the league of assassins that has been known to bring people back to life." Tala shrugged, standing and stretching.

"Your spine was shattered?" Kyle exclaimed, looking at her in pained shock.

"Yep. My brother and I were fighting dad, while Detective Lance and Glasses disabled the earthquake machine. Our third man had been disabled. Dad grabbed me, holding me against him like a human shield as the Arrow held his bow and arrow up to shoot. I shouted for him to shoot my dad through me. My father twisted my neck and I slumped to the ground. I was still conscious, still alive, but the pain. It felt like fire wrapping around my spine."

"Miss Merlyn, we will be landing in a few minutes." A voice came over the intercom system, startling everyone into looking away from Tala who straightened herself out.

After they landed, Tala and her friends drove to the hotel they'd taken over for the ceremony. Caitlin was yawning as Tala passed out their room keys.

"Cait, you're in the suite by yourself, Cody and Kyle, you two are together. Barry will be in the room across from you and I, Cisco. Cait, can I leave his keys here with you? I've got some other matters to deal with." Tala turned her lips blue, leaving no room for doubt on what she meant about that. Cisco told her to be careful as she pulled her armor on in a shadow of the lobby. She grinned and left, taking her motorcycle with her as she patched into Felicity's comms frequency.

"Hey my lovelys. Where am I needed?" Tala asked into the comms, laughing when she heard Speedy trip.

"What the hell?" He asked, yelling at her.

"I'm in town again Abercrombie. Get over it." Tala laughed, speeding through the darkened streets of her old hometown.

"Wolfie, we're on Quarter Ave. We have the house belonging to the boomerang killer." Johnnie said.

"I can get there. I'll meet you," Tala pulled a U-turn, speeding in the opposite direction. She listened in.

"You know, I probably should have brought this up before, but if this place doesn't belong to the killer you chased to Central City and back, well, we're going to have a lot of explaining to do," Roy said. Tala nodded, thinking that he wasn't wrong.

"It's his," Ollie said. Tala rolled her eyes, hoping he had a reason for saying that. She glanced at a street sign, knowing the was still five minutes out.

"Why, because the residue Star Labs found on the boomerang says so?" Johnnie asked, always the skeptic.

"Because the whole place is rigged." Oliver said. Tala thought that was a very good indicator of their killer living there. "I can see tripwire connected to pressurized gas. Front door will be the same."

"Looks like your new friend doesn't want any surprise guests, Ollie." Tala laughed as she zipped around a van, getting closer to where they were about to blow up a house.

"Well, he's gonna get a surprise." Oliver said. Tala pouted, knowing she'd miss the explosion. She heard the two blasts, sighing softly. "Looks like we interrupted his dinner."

"We just missed him." Roy said. Tala smiled when she saw Dig's van, parking right behind it. She tapped the back window twice, letting him know she was there. She pulled her sword out, twirling it as she approached the house. She was passed by men and women in SWAT gear.

"Drop your guns." Oliver's voice came from the front hall. Tala flanked the SWAT team, hiding herself in the shadows.

"Sure thing, right after to you learn to count. You're outnumbered jerkwad." Tala rolled her eyes, knowing that she could, and had, taken on an entire SWAT team single handedly before.

"You're not SCPD." Oliver said, something that Tala agreed with.

"Unless police uniforms have gotten really interesting, neither are you." Tala smiled at that, thinking it was something Cisco would've said.

"ARGUS then." Tala said, sheathing her sword and shouldering her way through the four people. "Hey boys, heard there was a party. And you didn't invite me, that's just rude. Also, your flanking patterns haven't changed in years. You should probably do something about that."

"Why is ARGUS in on this?" Roy asked, lowering his bow.

"The man who was killed by the boomerang, he's an ARGUS agent, right?" Oliver asked.

"Which makes this an ARGUS matter." The dick in charge stated. Tala made a face at him. "Bug out. Target's not here. Let this go." The three hoods stood there, definitely not planning to ignore it.

"Are we gonna let this go?" Roy asked. Tala shook her head, clapping him on the shoulder.

"No. Definitely not, pup." Tala said, stalking out to kick start her bike. "Same place?" Tala asked as she followed John in the van to the Steel Factory, following them into their base.

"I have missed this place." Tala said as she turned, rummaging through the last of her remaining weapons until she found another left handed bow. She smiled at it, before turning when she realized Oliver and Felicity were talking.

"Man's profile is so clean, I should've known it was an ARGUS cover." John growled.

"My file's clean. Not a single scratch." Tala said, moving to hug Felicity. "Granted I keep it that way by copious amounts of hacking. Can Lyla get us a lead?"

"If this is an ARGUS thing, Lyla's going to want it to stay that way." John said, shaking his head.

"Then tell her to stop letting people get killed in my city." Oliver said, Tala patted his shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.

"You really don't care about my marriage, do you?" John asked. Tala looked at him in shock.

"You two got hitched again, and I didn't get an invitation?" She yelped, clutching her chest in an imitation of heartbreak.

"Well I would, if you and Lyla were still married." Oliver said, ignoring Tala's dramatics.

"So you didn't get married again without inviting me?" She asked, looking at John. "Because if you did, that would be seriously uncool Johnnie."

Tala hugged everyone before pushing her hood back up.

"Right, I've got a mechanical engineer that I need to cuddle, and a CEO I need to bother tomorrow morning, so if you could all excuse me. Johnnie, tell Lyla I said hi." Tala waved to everyone, still gripping her new bow. She left, then sped off toward her hotel, happy to be back in Starling. Tala parked in the shadows, outside the hotel, directly under where her suite was. She shot a grappling arrow, letting it pull her upwards. She looked in the room, and saw Cisco sprawled across the bed. The assassin chuckled, rapping her bow against the window, making him sit up in shock, looking around. He went to the door and peered out, making Tala groan. She knocked again, making him jump. Cisco turned toward the window, finally seeing her.

"What are you doing out there?" He asked as he opened the window.

"My suit would reappear in Central City. I have to take it off here manually at least once for it to reset here. And I couldn't exactly walk in the front door dressed as me. They'd call Detective Lance!" Tala crawled through, unhooking her arrow as she pulled off her mask. "Much better. Help me get out of this?"

"I hope I never say no to that."

Tala groaned as she woke up, Cisco laying half on top of her. There was someone banging on her door. She wiggled out from under Cisco and moved, pulling it open.

"Oh my God!" Caitlin shrieked, spinning around to show Tala her back.

"What?" Tala looked down, noticing her state of undress. "Right, sorry. Francisco! Wake up, Cait's here. Did I oversleep?" She asked, pulling a sheet from the bed, startling Cisco awake. He sat up and looked around, pulling the blanket up to cover himself from Caitlin.

"Yes. You have to be at Palmer Tech in half an hour. You too Cisco. Cody sent me to get you, something about worried about knives." Tala snickered, pulling on a pair of jeans from her suitcase.

"He woke me up at my desk once and I threw a dagger at him. He's refused to wake me since." Tala hopped into her boots, pulling a tank top on at the same time, resulting in her falling over. Cisco laughed, grabbing one of his usual t-shirts and a pair of jeans. Caitlin handed over the coffee she brought up. Tala handed her a set of keys and a badge.

"I know you were working on something for Felicity, to do with Sara's death. These will get you into my science lab at the Merlyn building. I'll text you when it looks like Ray is done bothering me. There's also a car in the garage of the hotel for you to drive since Cody and Kyle went to visit family. We'll meet up for dinner, the five of us, until Barry gets here anyway." Tala grabbed her helmet off the desk in the room and tossed Cisco his, already heading out of the building.

"Tala, jacket!" Caitlin said, causing the assassin to turn around and grab her leather jacket from where it was hanging.

"Thanks, mom. Love you." The two engineers raced downstairs, Tala drinking her coffee as quick as she could, before kicking her bike to life. Cisco jumped on behind her, already mentally complaining about helping her run her company.

Upstairs, Caitlin shook her head at Tala's antics. She noticed Tala's weapons bag was open, showing everyone who cared to look a small arsenal of knives and arrows in blue and silver. Caitlin zipped it, and let it lock, before moving it into the closet. She walked downstairs, looking for the valet.

"Hi, I have a car under Merlyn?" Caitlin asked, showing them the ticket. The valet nodded and left, going to get the bioengineer whichever car Tala had gotten. Caitlin blinked when the newest model of Corvette pulled up and the valet got out, passing Caitlin the key. She thanked him, passing him a few twenties, before excitedly going and sitting in the driver's seat. "Tala, I love you."

"Tala, I hate you." Cisco grumbled as he rubbed his wrist. Even with splitting the documents between them, he swore he was going to get carpal tunnel.

"Good news, Caitlin should be here soon, then I can introduce you both to Ray. And you can prevent me from punching him for inviting half a dozen additional people to my party," Tala groaned, leaning her head back.

"Miss Merlyn, a Caitlin Snow is here to see you?" A timid man said, knocking nervously on the doorframe. Tala waved them both in, smiling lopsidedly at Caitlin.

"I love that car," She said as she walked in, passing her friends a cup of coffee.

"Was it the corvette or the Bentley? I can't remember," Tala asked, smiling at the cup of coffee. "Tommy liked cars more than I like blue, so we've got a lot laying around."

"The corvette. And your lab is amazing! It's nearly as well stocked as Star Labs," Caitlin gushed, taking a cookie from the platter in the middle of the table.

"I try to keep everything as current as I can afford, which means things are very current. The problem with keeping up with Star Labs is half of what we have there is patented to Harrison, and he doesn't share the fancier toys. But Tina McGee, from Mercury Labs shares with me. She's sent me a few emails about some Tachyon thing she's working on. Says she would like outside support, so Merlyn Industries' first order of business after the ceremony will be formally investing in her project." Tala stood and stretched, smiling at Cisco when he put his hand on her back to steady her.

"Alright, let's go find Ray, the CEO's office is upstairs. He ought to be there." Tala led the way to the elevator, rolling her neck as they waited for it. They walked into the office, Tala's eyebrows raising when she saw Glasses.

"Almost done here Gerry. You should've gone home hours ago," She said, not looking up at them.

"Who's Gerry?" Caitlin asked.

"This explains why you ended up on my invite list, twice," Tala chirped, grinning at her friend.

"This place is bigger than my old apartment," Cisco said, looking around in surprise.

"What are you guys doing here?" Felicity asked in surprise. Tala grinned, running her fingers through her hair.

"I'm hoping to punch Ray," Tala said, examining the faded blue color of her streak, frowning slightly.

"You asked us to analyze the DNA of the arrow that killed Sara," Caitlin said, looking at her.

"I was just gonna mail you the sample," Felicity said, looking at the tablet in her hand.

"We were also already in town-" Caitlin was cut off by Cisco.

"We want to see the Arrow Cave." Felicity closed her eyes, already envisioning the fit Oliver was going to throw. Tala giggled, able to see his 'Really Tala, really?' face that he was going to give her.

"We don't call it that," Felicity said. Tala scoffed.

"Yes, you do. Though I call it the Quiver." Cisco laughed, looking at her. Felicity rubbed her temple.

"But I wanna see the toys!" Cisco whined, making Tala smile. She thought Cisco was adorable, looking at him with a sappy, tired grin. "I need to see the toys," Cisco begged, looking at Felicity with his best puppy dog eyes. Tala wrapped her arms around Cisco, leaning her head on his shoulder, looking at Felicity with a smile.

"We showed you ours. We should show them ours. That sounds weird. Please Glasses? Ollie can bitch to me about it, I'll shelter you from his rage," Tala bargained, making Felicity sigh and roll her eyes.

"Do you guys have an arrow-mobile?" Cisco asked, making Tala giggle.

"We like our bikes. Though Johnnie does have a van. That we boosted. From ARGUS." Tala said, smiling.

"Tala is the reason we shouldn't have nice things," Felicity complained, waving for them to follow her.

"Not my fault it was perfect to steal," Tala said, beaming. She and Cisco rode over to Verdant on her bike, while Caitlin followed behind with Felicity in the corvette. Oliver was already down there, frowning. Tala beamed at him, showing Cisco around with a flourish. Cisco reached for an assortment of Arrows, lying on a table.

"Don't touch that." Oliver said through clenched teeth. Cisco reached for the rack of grappling arrows. "Or that. It's a jettisoning arrow, it uses compressed-"

"CO2 to jettison high-tensile strength polymer cables. Tala uses similar ones. Her's are blue though," Cisco finished, grinning over at Tala, who flashed a smile at Oliver, trying not to laugh when he frowned again.

"Yup." Oliver muttered, glaring at the blue assassin.

"Since when did we start selling admission to the arrow-cave?" Roy asked, making Tala laugh.

"It's-" Oliver cut off, turning to point and glare at Felicity. "Do you see what you've done?" Felicity gave her best innocent face. Tala moved over to pat Oliver on the shoulder, smiling at his annoyed glare.

"Incredible!" Tala turned to where Cisco was standing, looking at Oliver's suit. "I have so many ideas for improvements." Tala snorted, having to lean against the table to prevent herself from falling to the floor as she fought to keep her laughter silent. "And this! Oh, oh man." Cisco walked over to Speedy's suit. "This is the bomb! I mean, red is so much cooler than green, am I right?" Tala shook her head and looked at him fondly.

"I'm really starting to like this guy." Roy said, nodding appreciatively.

"Where does blue rank?" Tala called, looking at Cisco.

"Best color there is," He said without pause.

"Good answer," Tala said, smiling at the mechanical engineer. Caitlin gestured to Oliver's Salmon Ladder.

"Hey, what's that for?" She asked Felicity. Felicity looked at it with a mix of adoration and annoyance.

"Distracting me from work," She huffed.

"So where's mister Diggle?" Caitlin asked, looking around.

"He's running down a lead," Roy answered. Tala walked over to Cisco as he pricked his finger on a red arrow from Roy's case. Tala shook her head fondly, not noticing the look Felicity and Caitlin exchanged, looking at the two of them. Oliver's phone rang, making Tala tense. She got ready to pull for her armor, already forming blue tendrils around her hands.

"Diggle." Tala couldn't hear what Johnnie was saying, but she knew from Oliver's face it wasn't good. "Our target is storming ARGUS and Lyla is there."

Tala huffed and pulled her armor on, flexing her hands as she felt the leather gloves materialize over her palms. She flipped her mask around, ready to put it on as they left. Roy and Oliver moved over to their suits, changing quickly.

"Mmhmm, badass." Cisco cheered as Tala placed her mask on, swiping her thumb over her lips. She pressed a kiss to Cisco's cheek before dashing up the stairs to the alley where their bikes were all parked. Blue, Green and Red. Tala pulled her hood up, and kicked hers to life as Oliver and Roy came running out.

"It'll be over by the time they get there," Caitlin worried, back in the base.

Tala threw a dagger, pinning the boomerang headed for Lyla to the ground. Her and Johnnie looked up as the three hoods vaulted the railing in front of them.

"Miss me Lyla?" Tala asked, rolling as she landed, throwing another knife at the perp. "I need a name for this guy, I'm thinking Captain Boomerang. Johnnie, get her out of here!"

Oliver and Roy shot arrows at Captain Boomerang covering Lyla and Johnnie's escape. Tala pulled out her short sword and half her bowstaff, charging him, while Roy dropped his bow in favor of two halves of a bowstaff. The three of them bounced punches and kicks off of Captain Boomerang, avoiding his now exploding boomerangs. Roy was kicked down, landing on his back, knocking the wind out of him while Tala took a cut to her face, only her mask preventing him from blinding her. She felt blood drip down and swore. She was shoved backwards by him, and watched with one eye as he threw two boomerangs at Oliver. She screamed out at him, Oliver only watched; as they were too close to dodge. Barry sped into the room, grabbing both of them before they could hit the green vigilante. Roy and Lyla stared at the speedster in disbelief, while Tala breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to charge at the murderer but he threw a flash bang and ran off. Tala pulled down her hood and removed her mask, angrily blinking the blood out of her eyes.

"I need coffee," She hissed in angry Russian. She looked to her brother before nodding and leaving, intent on getting back to Verdant so someone could give her stitches. She kicked her bike to life and sped back into the Glades, clenching her jaw as the cut stung, and blood blurred her vision, making the drive mostly from memory. She let the bike fall to the ground, the kickstand not catching it in time as she ran down into the basement.

"Cait, have you got a suture kit handy?" She called as she jogged blindly down the stairs, tripping on the last one and falling, catching herself on her hands and knees.

"Tala!" Cisco shouted, running over to her. He pulled her up and looked at her face, spotting the blood. "What the hell happened?"

"Jerkwad got me with a boomerang. He fights with them the way I do knives. It's mostly superficial, but I want Caitlin to take a look. Help me over there, I can't see anything." Cisco led her over to the spare table where Tala jumped up and laid down, letting Felicity and Caitlin look her over. Tala only needed two stitches on above her eye, for which she was thankful. She sat up when Doctor Snow was done and moved over to the Salmon ladder, pulling herself up a few rungs, working out her frustration.

"Tala? I don't think that's a good idea with your injury," Barry said as he sped into the room. Tala pulled herself up and twisted, landing on the floor with the bar in her hands.

"I'm annoyed. I seem to be the only one who gets injured, no matter what team I'm on. You heal stupid fast, Ollie seems to never get hurt and Roy only keeps bruises. Even Sara rarely got hurt," She ranted, setting the bar back on the lowest rung.

"Your ankle healed quickly, as did your hand," Caitlin pointed out.

"Yeah, because I used Multiplex's cells and a protein gel for the stitches on my neck. I've managed to get some of the healing abilities from that, as well as from the Lazarus pit that Nyssa forced into my bloodstream when I was comatose. But I'll never be able to recover as fast as Barry." Tala huffed, perching back on the table. Barry walked over and looked up at the Salmon ladder. He shrugged and started going up and down it at super speed.

"How often does Oliver do this?" Caitlin asked, watching the speedster go up and down.

"At least every Wednesday." Felicity said. "Tala used to do it on Thursdays. There's a lot of sweating involved."

"I don't see what's so hard about that." Barry said as he passed the bar to Cisco. Tala pulled her phone out and started recording Cisco trying to do it.

"I'm not sure she should've called you. Oliver doesn't play well with others." Felicity said as Barry walked over to her and Caitlin. Tala moved to watch Cisco better.

"Oh, come on. Barry and Oliver kicked ass earlier this week! They were in like, a league of their own." Cisco said as he tried to pull himself up. Tala fought to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, that was like, a one time thing," Felicity said, also trying not to laugh at Cisco's attempt.

"The dude was tossing around exploding boomerangs. They needed backup." Barry said, looking at Felicity. Cisco dropped to the floor, looking peeved. "And I need some dinner. That salmon ladder made me hungry for sushi."

"Yo, hit me up with some!" Tala called as he raced out.

"And I need to get some paperweights down here." Felicity said, grabbing at the papers that started flying everywhere. Tala giggled, wrapping Cisco in a hug.

"Should've warned you about that." Caitlin said. Oliver, Roy, Johnnie and Lyla walked in.

"Are you okay?" Felicity asked, standing and looking them all over.

"You can't work for ARGUS without making a few enemies." Lyla sighed, glancing over at Tala. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Only two stitches." Tala said, smiling from where she was holding Cisco.

"You need to be careful, little sister." Ollie said, smiling at her without actually smiling. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm sorry to involve all of you in this." Lyla said, looking at them. Tala scoffed.

"I was bored with board meetings anyway. Don't worry about it. This, at least, is fun." She said glancing at her family around her. She pushed with her powers, letting her suit fade away and be replaced with her normal clothes. Johnnie emptied a bag of boomerang pieces into a tray.

"Is that ARGUS property?" Lyla asked sharply, looking at him.

"It's evidence." Johnnie said. Barry sped back in holding sushi, tossing a tray to Tala as he sat down in Felicity's vacant chair.

"Hey. Secret identity?" Caitlin questioned, looking between Barry and Lyla.

"They're married." Barry said, gesturing between John and Lyla with his chopsticks. Tala moved away from Cisco and opened hers up, forming chopsticks with her powers. She popped a piece in her mouth, smiling happily.

"We're not married." They both said.

"Or, together. Whatever, he told her about me." Barry said, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, he didn't. Johnnie doesn't tell secrets." Tala said, smiling at him.

"You didn't?" Barry asked John.

"I keep secrets for a living, man." John said, straight faced. Tala was watching Lyla's face, trying not to laugh. She was stunned.

"Oops, my bad." Barry said sheepishly.

"You're, you're..?" Lyla tried forming a sentence.

"The Flash. Sushi?" He offered. Lyla shook her head, still in shock.

"We need a location on the man who attacked Lyla. His name is Digger Harkness." Oliver said, forcing the team to focus. Tala popped another piece of sushi in her mouth.

"Well, the first step is to work the evidence." Barry started, going into CSI mode.

"Barry, can I speak to you for a moment?" Oliver cut him off, trying to drag him away. Cisco raised his phone to take a video, but Tala and Caitlin pushed it back down, forcing him to face the table and ignore the beat down Oliver was liable to give Barry.

"We need to reassemble the evidence. It'll take some time, but-" Barry cut off Oliver by speeding over to the table and reassembling them all in ten seconds flat. Tala was surprised Ollie decided to let them stay and help. "But it'll be worth it."

Tala snorted, and reached over to look at the boomerangs laying on the tray.

"Rad! These are a bit more teched out than the one you guys brought to Central City. 3D printed polymer with a circuitry weave." Cisco said, examining one of them. Tala whispered to him that she wanted some of her stars made out of that.

"Some of Harkness' boomerangs exploded." Roy supplied.

"Oh yeah, there are grooves in here that could definitely pack a C4 charge." Cisco said, turning the boomerang in different ways.

"Maybe if we figure out where Harkness got his supplies, we could use that to track him." Caitlin said, glancing at Felicity.

"These weren't made by ka-boom-boomerang." Cisco said.

"Ka-boom-boomerang?" Roy questioned.

"No, Koneko, not your best. I liked Captain Boomerang." Tala suggested, taking the weapon out of his hands and balancing it on her finger. She nodded before passing it back. "I definitely want my stars made out of this stuff."

"Really? It makes perfect sense-"

"Cisco." Oliver cut him off. "If Harkness didn't make them, we need to find out who did."

"And who he made the buy off of." Dig added.

"Markos." Cisco said, making everyone turn to face him. "You see this collapsible node design? Dead giveaway, that's his signature." Oliver and Felicity started walking towards the computers.

"We need a location on this...?"

"Klaus Markos." Cisco supplied. Tala ate her last piece of sushi, and walked over to look over Felicity's shoulder.

"No known home address or employment for Klaus Markos. But he was arrested last year by an Officer Quentin Lance." Felicity said, looking at his police records.

"I'm definitely coming. I miss Quentin, I need to see how he's doing after losing Sara." Tala said sadly.

"He doesn't know." Roy said, looking at her. "Laurel decided not to tell him because of his heart condition."

"Then I won't say anything. In the morning? First thing? I'll meet you guys there." Tala said, leaning against the desk and glancing at the clock. "I need sleep, or I might kill someone." Tala tossed Barry his set of room keys and headed out, Cisco following, pulling on his helmet as they got into the alley way.

Tala entered the SCPD with Oliver and Barry, clutching a cup of coffee, already half empty. She heard Laurel before she saw her.

"But my boss wants answers on what the department is doing about the rash of B and E's on the Southside." Laurel walked into the room, keeping pace with her father.

"Well tell him I got a whole squad down there, but they can only move so fast." The two nearly walked into the trio of vigilantes.

"Hey Laurel, Detective - Captain, Captain, sorry." Ollie said, looking at them all.

"Don't worry about it, it's been a while." He said. Tala glared at the backs of her partners - they had stepped in front of her making the shorter girl invisible.

"Hey, move it. I wanna say hi too." Tala shouldered her way through the speedster and archer, stepping in front to look at Quentin and Laurel. "Quentin. Laurel, how've you been?"

"Tala!" Captain Lance exclaimed. "It's been a while. I'm good, how are you?"

"Better now for seeing you lot."

"Is everything okay?" Laurel asked, looking worriedly between Tala and Ollie, Tala smiled reassuringly at her.

"Yeah, this is-" Oliver turned to introduce Barry.

"Bart Allen, right? Didn't you get hit by a bus?" Quentin asked, taking a drink of his coffee.

"Barry. And uh, it was lightning." He corrected, smiling.

"Huh. We worked together on a case last year." Quentin said to Laurel, who nodded in understanding.

"Barry's a friend of ours, he actually works with Tala in Central City sometimes." Oliver explained as Tala tapped her new stitches, both to tell Laurel it was vigilante work and to scratch it slightly.

"He's in town with the Central City police department, and I was hoping that you could help him with something." Tala said, looking at Quentin.

"Sure." Captain Lance said, shrugging.

"Oliver, Tala, can I speak with you two for a moment?" Laurel asked, Tala looked up at her, wide eyed, but nodded.

"The Arrow was in Central City." She said, looking between the two.

"This is a follow up." Oliver said. "Kind of."

"Bad guy had traces of stuff in Central City, and Felicity needed me and my team to run a few tests." Tala explained a bit more. "He helped us, now we're helping him."

"Right, Tala, we're going to follow up on whatever lead Barry gets us tonight, you should finish up with your thing before." Oliver was cut off as Tala's phone rang. "Before that happens."

"Where are you?" Tala groaned as Ray's voice filled her ear. "You were due here fifteen minutes ago - your assistant said you would be here, but you're not."

"Assistant? You mean Cisco? He's not my assistant, he's my equal, and with him there you don't need me, Palmer." Tala groaned, looking at Oliver with misery in her eyes. "I'm on my way. Put Cisco on the phone."

"Tala?" Cisco asked.

"I'm leaving SCPD now, make sure there's coffee there or I might accidentally kill someone. I'm already having a rough go of it." Tala ended the call and kicked her bike to life, speeding to Palmer Tech, walking through the lobby and into the elevator before security could stop her.

"Alright, I'm here. What else needs finalized?" Tala asked, as she stormed into the Board meeting room.

"Your wardrobe for one," One of the men in the room said quietly.

"Look, I'm not old enough to find jeans uncomfortable, and I just pulled up on a motorcycle, meaning skirts and dresses are a hindrance. When I'm on camera, or doing something other than background planning, I will be wearing the appropriate attire. Until then, kindly keep your comments to yourself." Tala growled at the man, glaring at him. Cisco walked forward and dragged her back against the wall. He took her left hand while pressing the coffee into her right.

"You need to breathe Tala. This rebranding needs to happen, and the board needs to be alive for it." Tala took a deep breath, looking in Cisco's eyes. "Once this is over, I'll take you to the bar of your choice and buy you drinks until you can't see straight. Don't forget, tonight you're following up on the Harkness lead. You can let out your frustrations then."

"Not if I drag you into a closet later." Tala growled, looking at Cisco with a glimmer in her eyes. She shook her head and straightened herself out, and walked forward, pushing Ray Palmer out of her spot at the head of the board. "My apologies, this event has stressed me out slightly, and I have had a short temper. Now, we have finalized the guest list, the catering, and the venues for both the ceremony and my private celebratory party afterwards. SCPD has kindly agreed to act as security for the ceremony, with the exception of Quentin Lance who will be there as a guest of honor as one of the heroes of the Undertaking."

"Before the ribbon cutting, there will be a brief speech by Captain Lance about what Merlyn Industries will accomplish with both the SCPD and the CCPD, as well as his and Tala's involvement in the Undertaking." Cisco said, stepping forward, wrapping his arm around Tala's waist. Tala melted against his side, her stress fading slightly. "Tala and I will then cut the ribbon, officially rebranding the company as Merlyn Industries. Tala will give a short speech about what she hopes to accomplish with the rebranding before officially thanking Palmer Tech for sponsoring the rebranding. Afterwards there will be a Q and A with the few members of the press that have bribed their way into covering the ceremony. After that we will be leaving for the party. Those invited will be allowed entry, those not invited will probably see the inside of a jail cell."

Ray tapped Tala on the shoulder, forcing them both to turn and face him.

"Tala, Cisco, I would like to introduce you to my VP, Felicity Smoak. Felicity, this is a casual friend and occasional business partner, Tala Merlyn and her partner Cisco Ramon." Tala looked at Cisco, before bursting out laughing. Cisco and Felicity started chuckling too, confusing Ray.

"Ray, I'd like to introduce you to my best friend Felicity Smoak. I've known her for three years now. I tried to sleep with her, only to be disappointed that she is straight." Felicity blushed, while Cisco snorted his amusement at Tala's antics.

"You all know each other?" Ray asked, confused.

"I consider Oliver Queen a brother. Felicity is my best girl friend; she was just in Central City visiting me the other day. I sort of followed her here." Tala said, drinking from her coffee until it was empty. She frowned at it, looking around until she found Kyle and Cody standing off to one side. She made eye contact and shook her cup, giving Kyle her best puppy eyes until he nodded.

"Oh, I didn't realize." Ray said, looking embarrassed.

"Ray, I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I would like to rectify that. If for no other reason than Felicity speaks highly of you." Tala sighed and stuck her hand out in front of her. "Hi, I'm Tala Merlyn, CEO of the soon to be Merlyn Industries. This is Francisco Ramon, my partner in everything that counts."

"Ray Palmer, CEO of Palmer Tech. Nice to meet you," Tala and Ray shook hands, and Tala felt a little more stress melt away.

Tala dropped from Barry's back and shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she pulled her hood up. A smile formed on her blue lips as she looked at Roy and Oliver.

"I cannot believe you are a member of the Russian Mob!" Barry cheered, looking at Oliver.

"Former member, probably." Oliver corrected. Tala looked at him sharply.

"How did you get kicked out by the Bratva? I haven't even managed to do that and I've killed a good portion of them." Tala exclaimed, shocked.

"We had a falling out last year." He said. Tala shook her head at him. "This is where they run their cyber-crime operation.

"Hey, nice outfit by the way." Barry said to Roy, making Tala stifle a groan.

"This place looks like a fortress." Roy said, ignoring Barry.

"Kalashnikovs everywhere." Johnnie said as he walked back up. Tala grinned.

"Roy, take the southeast corner. Barry scan the perimeter. Tala, you can fight me on this later, but I want you to shadow Roy, you've still got stitches." Tala huffed but nodded, knowing that she couldn't risk tearing them this close to her ceremony. Roy turned and headed to his corner, Tala a step behind him.

"How's it feel to be back?" Roy asked in a whisper, sidestepping a guard.

"Weird. It's almost like I never left, but also like I've never been here before. Central City is different. I'm not needed as much. No one needs an arrow in their back, only a stern talking to. It's like living in a comic book." Tala said, pulling her powers around them both to shadow them.

"Being a superhero doesn't hurt with that either," Roy said, watching her pull blue tendrils around them.

"Makes everything weird. Surreal almost. I'm not an assassin - I'm a metahuman. It feels different. Being here, with these powers, and with Barry... Oliver and I torture people to get the information we need. Barry doesn't do that, he freaked out when someone died because of a weapon Cisco made. I didn't blink. Does that make me dark, Roy?" Tala asked, suddenly very aware of every life she ever took, every person she ever hurt to get information.

"No. I think it makes you who you are. You come from a place where that's needed. So does Oliver. Barry comes from a place where it's always happy and sunny, where the worst thing you guys deal with is a robber or a thief. I don't hear of very many murders in Central City." Roy stepped aside to let Tala pick the lock. When the door swung open, they swung into action, each fighting two huge Bratva men.

"Central City is sunny, and our bad guys get cute nicknames." Tala quickly grabbed her bowstaff, knocking the first guy to the ground, kicking him in the temple to knock him unconscious. She jumped, leaping to land on the second man's shoulders, using her legs to flip him over. She hit him with the staff in the back of the neck, watching with grim satisfaction as he slumped, out cold on the ground. "It's like a TV show, _The Flash,_ where I am the comic relief, who spends more time getting injured than actually helping." Tala dropped into a chair, pulling herself over to a computer as Roy knocked out the fourth man. "Sometimes I miss killing them. I'm an assassin. I'm not supposed to let them live. I'm so screwed in the head." Tala groaned as she hacked into their system and let loose three different viruses to screw the Bratva over.

"Yeah, but you don't let it rule over you. You smile, you run your company, and you love Cisco more than I loved Thea."

"He said it, when Ollie was in Central City. I don't think he knows it, but he told me he loved me. I've only loved one other person, and she's dead. Even when it was me and Oliver, it wasn't love; it was just two people needing someone. After that, after losing her, twice... I don't know if I can say it back." Tala pulled her flash drive out of the computer and placed her bowstaff back in its holster.

"Then don't. He said it and didn't realize it. One day, you will too. Then you'll know you truly feel it." Roy said, tossing his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a short hug as they went back to their rendezvous point.

Roy and Tala made it back to the steel factory just as it hit one in the morning. Tala groaned into the thermos Cisco brought for her, full of coffee. She kissed him in thanks, not noticing the glare Johnnie sent at the back of Cisco's head.

"I got him! He's in a warehouse at the corner of Infantino and Adams," Felicity said, forcing Tala to pull away from Cisco. Cisco blinked the fog out of his eyes and moved to look at the computer.

"Is that?" Lyla started.

"ARGUS by satellite? Yeah, maybe," Felicity said, smiling at her computer. "Thermographic imaging shows ten bodies inside."

"Harkness knows we're coming," Johnnie said, looking at Lyla first, then Tala, who was tightening her fingerless gloves. Tala glanced at Cisco, nodding slightly.

"I can track his cell phone's position with this." He held up the encrypted cell phone.

"Cisco, you're with Diggle and Roy." Oliver said. Tala spun on her heel and grabbed a fist full of John's shirt and Roy's suit, forcing them to look at her.

"If he gets so much as a papercut, I will carve each of you into little tiny pieces and feed you to the Metahumans I keep in my basement. Am I understood?" Tala threatened with a beaming smile on her face. Roy nodded rapidly, and Tala let him go. She turned to face John, her eyes turning to steel.

"I'll protect him like Lyla." John said, looking in her eyes. Tala nodded curtly, spinning to chase after Oliver. Barry stood up and looked at them both.

"I'll race you there." He said, Tala winked and ran up the stairs, hopping on the back of Oliver's bike. She kept her balance with her knees as they sped to the warehouse.

"It's all pretty freaking cool, right?" Cisco laughed, getting John and Roy to smile too.

"On a more serious note. What is going on between you and Tala?" John asked, glancing at Cisco.

"We live together, and we're kind of together, but not really. We're happy without labeling it as a relationship. If one of us finds someone interesting we encourage the other to check it out, knowing they'll probably come back." Cisco tried to explain, wondering where Diggle was going with this.

"Listen. I've known Tala since she was eighteen. I consider her a daughter. And if you break her heart, or hurt her feelings in any way, I'll shoot you. Understand?" John said, looking right at Cisco.

"Tala is family to me too. And Oliver, Felicity, Thea, and Malcolm freaking Merlyn." Roy said, suddenly straight faced. "If you hurt her, you'll be dead before you realize what you did wrong. So don't do anything wrong, and you'll be fine. We might not even kill you, we might force you to live." Cisco gulped, looking at the two deadly men.

"Look, Tala, I care about her, a lot. I'm never going to hurt her on purpose. Doing that would hurt me. Now let's go find Captain Boomerang." Cisco said, glancing at the phone in his hand. "Tala has terrifying friends."

"What's going on between you and Cisco?" Oliver asked her as he pushed the kickstand down.

"He makes me happy." Tala shrugged. "Francisco, when I'm with him, I don't want to be an assassin anymore, I want to hang up the hood and be Tala, CEO and mechanical engineer. I'd give it up for him. All of it."

"I think you should go for it." Oliver said, pulling his bow out. "Get out of this life before it kills you." Tala hummed noncommittally and pulled out her bow, notching a silver tipped arrow. Oliver had a tranq arrow waiting to fire. Tala considered switching to something less deadly, but she knew who she was. Cisco may have made her feel like she could hang it all up, but Tala was The'eb Sagheer. She was an assassin and would always be looking for her next kill. They opened the door and slipped through, finding a room that Barry had cleared, with all the men tied up.

"Sarie, I said I wanted a fight," Tala groaned, letting her bowstring loosen before seeing a man trying to sneak behind Barry. Her and Oliver both shot, hitting opposite shoulders.

"I knew he was there." Barry tried to play off, making Tala smile. "He's not dead, right?"

"Tranq arrow. Same thing I used on you in Central City." Oliver said.

"He won't bleed out, I didn't hit anything major. He might not be able to use his left arm the same though. Oh well, shouldn't be a criminal," Tala said, shrugging her shoulders. Johnnie and Roy entered the room.

"Cisco has the van running. See you've met Harkness' hired muscle." John said as he walked in, scanning the room with an unimpressed look on his face.

"Harkness isn't here." Tala hissed, glaring at everything. She turned to a man sitting at her feet and kicked him in the ribs. "Where's Digger Harkness?" She growled, her powers flowing around her like a soft wind.

"Never met him! But he paid us ten Gs to give you this." The guy held up a cellphone. Tala growled and stalked out to the van. Her phone rang.

"What?" She growled, not knowing or caring who was calling.

"Harkness was here! Lyla's hurt!" Caitlin's voice said, panic filling it. Dread filled every bit of Tala's body. She ended the call and turned back into the warehouse.

"Lyla's hurt. We need to go now!" She shouted at the boys, already running full tilt to the van. She shoved Cisco aside and pushed the van into gear, speeding towards the glades as fast as she could. She skid to a halt in the alley behind the Steel factory, throwing the van into park as Diggle, Roy and Cisco sprinted down to the base.

"She's not moving," Diggle said, fear filling his voice.

"I've got her stabilized, but I can't operate on her here," Caitlin said, looking at Diggle. Tala looked at Barry.

"Barry, Starling General is at 8th and Wilcott. Get her there, save her life!" Tala said, tears spilling down her cheeks. She leaned over and fell into John's arms, sobbing, unable to get the image of a near death Lyla out of her mind. She'd already lost too many, Tala prayed she didn't have to add Lyla's name to her suit. John pulled her upright and looked at her, forcing her to focus.

"Tala, Lyla can't afford for us to break down. Tala!" John shouted, shaking his friend slightly. Tala hiccoughed and looked at him. "Lyla needs us to be strong and find Harkness. We can't break down. We're soldiers, or have you forgotten, Lieutenant?"

"No, sir," Tala sniffed and straightened, snapping to attention. "Soldiers, that means damn what happens to us."

Tala glanced at her arm, tracing Bette's name with her eyes. She was a sheepdog, and someone just hurt her flock. Harkness would pay, with his life if she could manage it.

"Come on, let's get you a drink." Cisco said, wrapping his arms around Tala. Felicity and Roy nodded, leading them up to the club. Roy went to the bar and asked Thea to bring them up a tray of drinks.

"This feels wrong," Felicity said, looking across at Tala. "Being here feels wrong."

"Oliver needed to be alone, he made that pretty clear." Roy said as he came back, sliding into the seat next to Felicity.

"Four doubles, straight up." Thea said, placing the drinks in front of them. "Hey, Wolfie. You guys okay?"

"We're just having a tough night," Roy said as Tala threw back half her drink. The assassin looked at Thea with a raised eyebrow, silently asking for more. Thea nodded.

"Anything I can do to help?" Thea asked.

"More whiskey," Tala said, throwing back the rest of her drink. Thea smiled and walked away.

"Yo, who was that hottie?" Cisco asked, turning to watch Thea.

"My sister," Tala said as Felicity and Roy answered too.

"Oliver's sister."

"My ex-girlfriend."

"So stay away, is what you're saying?" Cisco asked, nervously. They all three nodded. Caitlin walked over, taking the seat Tala quickly vacated for her, choosing to instead stand behind Cisco.

"She's in surgery, Mister Diggle is with her," She said, looking at Felicity.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Felicity asked. Tala placed her arms around Cisco's shoulders, holding him for comfort.

"I hope so. She's strong," Caitlin said.

"How do you guys do it? How do you guys live like this? Where anyone you care about can be struck down?" Cisco asked, looking between Felicity and Roy.

"We don't take it seriously in Central City Koneko. We treat it as a game with code names and superpowers." Tala said, hugging Cisco.

"I think the fact that we go up against Metahumans made it all kind of clean. Like, the fact that they have these powers makes it less..."

"Real." Caitlin finished, looking at Tala. The assassin put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It's hard to look at it like real life. Because even for me, someone who has magic and magic waters that can heal any wound, this stuff is weird. My magic, the pull of my armor, the changing of my lipstick, it comes from a nexus. A place of otherworldly powers. Metahumans are bizarre even for me." Tala smiled sadly.

"I used to think Tala was the weirdest thing I would ever see." Felicity said. "Then I saw Mirakuru soldiers, and then Barry, and all these Metas show up. Weird is the new normal around here."

Felicity's phone buzzed, causing Tala to straighten up. She grabbed Cisco's drink and threw it back, wanting coffee but settling for the alcohol.

"I have a match on Harkness." Felicity said, looking at the two hoods at the table. "Suit up. I'll get Oliver." Tala pulled her armor on, not caring that she was in public before reaching around to take Felicity's drink too. Roy had already finished his. They ran down stairs after Felicity.

"Barry and I will get him. I don't trust him to not have a backup plan." Oliver said, glaring at the cellphones that led Harkness to Verdant in the first place. Tala nodded, standing behind Cisco. They all stood nervously around, waiting for Ollie or Barry to tell them that things were clear.

"Guys, Harkness just triggered five bombs throughout the city. We don't know where." Barry said. Tala groaned and shook her head.

"Go figure he had a contingency plan. I hate smart villains." Tala muttered to herself. She took her mask off, tapping gently at her stitches with her nail.

"To blanket the entire city, he'd need to use-"

"Radio-controlled IED's." Cisco finished Felicity's sentence. "But if we key into the detonator frequency,"

"We can pinpoint the location of the bombs." Felicity said.

"Get to it, Nerd Squad." Tala said, smiling gently, looking at Cisco. They started typing, each hacking from a different end of the frequency scanners.

"I need a location, I need five locations!" Barry said, running through the city. Tala followed his GPS tracker on a tablet.

"The closest one is behind a restaurant at Faith and Flower." Cisco said, finding a matching frequency.

"Alright, hey guys, I found it. I'm going to run it out of the city." Barry said. Tala looked at the bomb through the camera she and Cisco had embedded in the emblem.

"Barry, wait!" Tala shouted, looking at the bombs design. Cisco started and turned to look at her, confused. "The bombs are linked. I recognize that design, I saw it a few times in Afghanistan. You twitch that thing the wrong way, even try to defuse it, the rest blow."

"What?" Barry asked.

"Your emblem now has a camera, congrats. See that secondary trigger? It acts as a receiver, and a transmitter."

"Barry, you need to defuse all the bombs at the same time," Cisco said.

"We're running out of time." Roy said, glaring at the bomb over Tala's shoulder.

"Tala, you're thinking of Multiplex, I can't be in five places at the same time." Barry said. "But I don't have to be." Tala blinked in confusion, before looking around her. Barry plus them equaled six. Tala blinked as Roy was taken first. Barry then came back for Caitlin. Felicity was taken next, giving Tala enough time to grab hold of Cisco, silently telling Barry she was going too. He grabbed them both, dumping them in some parking lot. Tala pulled out a dagger and knelt next to the bomb as Cisco uncovered it. He pulled out the tablet he was holding, linking them all together on comms. Tala pushed her powers around them both, just to be safe.

"Okay, everyone has to cut their wires exactly on three." Cisco said. He looked at Tala, not noticing they were protected from the blast. He leaned over and kissed her quickly. "One. Two, Three." Cisco counted, bracing himself. Tala slit the wire clean through with her knife, severing the connection.

"Oh, praise Allah." Tala panted, leaning against Cisco, relief clear on her face. He fell down to his knees next to her. Tala dropped her knife at the same time she pushed away her armor. She tackled Cisco to the ground, kissing him soundly, laughing the entire time. "After that, I think I can handle the ceremony tomorrow."

"Screw you, Captain Boomerang." Cisco said, laying on the ground with Tala laying on top of him. "We win this round."

"Come on, I want to visit Lyla at the hospital before we get some sleep." Tala said, pushing herself off the ground and pulling Cisco up. "Can you use that tablet to figure out where we are?"

Tala and Cisco walked up to the room as Lyla woke up. Johnnie leaned over her. Tala pulled Cisco into the shadows, intending to eavesdrop.

"Hi, sweetie." John said, moving to be closer to Lyla.

"You only call me sweetie when you want something." Lyla said, making Tala smile.

"I do." John said, smiling. Tala watched happily, loving how in love her friends were. "I want you to marry me." Tala stuffed her hand in her mouth, trying not to squeal in excitement.

"I can't believe I waited this long to ask. I need you Lyla. Now, forever, official. I need you." Johnnie rambled, starting to sound slightly like Felicity.

"Will you please stop talking, so I can say yes?" Lyla asked, accepting the kiss John leaned down to give her.

"Well, I guess these flowers mean more than get well soon!" Tala cheered as she practically skipped into the room. Cisco followed, beaming. "I'm so happy for you two. Also, Harkness was caught, and his bombs - I dunno if anyone told you, there were bombs - were defused. You two are going to call me when you officially get married, right? Because I need to be there - again." Tala said, setting the flowers on the table.

"Consider us already RSVP'd." Cisco said, wrapping his arm around Tala's waist.

"Everything worked out?" Johnnie asked, looking over at them.

"Totally fine. Just need to deal with my ceremony later today, for which I need to get sleep. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I should be released in time for the party." Lyla said, reaching over to take Tala's hand. "Just don't let me drink anything." Tala smiled and left, promising to call them later.

The whole team piled into Tala and Cisco's room while they were in the shower, Caitlin letting everyone in. The two engineers, not realizing they had company came out of the bathroom of their suite and walked into the room, making Felicity and Caitlin shriek and turn bright red. Tala had walked out using her towel to dry her hair, not bothering to cover her body. Cisco only had a towel wrapped around his waist, his dark hair dripping.

"Why is everyone in my suite, Cait?" Tala asked, pinning the bioengineer with a look.

"You told us to come over in the morning so we could say our goodbyes and get ready for the ceremony together!" Caitlin said, covering her face. Cisco grabbed and tossed Tala a robe that was hanging on the bathroom door.

"Yeah, I said come over at nine." Tala said, giggling as she wrapped the robe around herself.

"Sis, it's quarter past nine." Oliver said, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Whoops. I was... distracted." Tala tried, glancing appreciatively at Cisco.

"Wolfie, I'm not sure if I'm proud or embarrassed." Thea said, pulling Tala out of the room to start fixing the blue in her hair. "We'll be in the other room fixing that faded blue streak. No one kill the boy, I approve." Tala winked at Cisco before letting Thea pull her out of the room. Cisco pulled a box out from the closet, and passed it to Oliver.

"A Christmas present for you. From us. Turns out the Star Labs fabricator is based here in Starling. It's twenty five percent lighter, and can carry fifteen percent more gear. Tala's mock two suit is going to be made of the same stuff. I'm working on a new design for you both." Oliver held out the new suit, staring at it in awe.

"Thank you. And for you guys, specifically Barry and Tala, we added another suit stand with Barry's measurements for the next time you're all in town."

"There'll be a next time?" Barry asked, his cheeks starting to lose the blush seeing Tala caused.

"I'll still be calling the shots." Oliver said.

"We'll talk about that." Barry said, smiling.

"Yeah, and then I'll call the shots." Oliver said as Cisco returned to the room, wearing sweat pants.

"Right, Cynthia is on her way here and will arrive in ten minutes. Those of you that don't want to be tortured by her should leave. Roy, Barry, Oliver, that includes you." Cisco pointed to the door. "I'd run too, but she'd notice me missing. She's going to do hair and makeup for the girls." Caitlin smiled at the thought of a professional doing her makeup for the first time.

Tala stepped out of the limo on Cisco's arm, casually straightening her skirt as she did. They walked up to the podium in front of the Starling City branch of the Merlyn Global Group. Caitlin followed them on Barry's arm, with Ray and Felicity behind them. Felicity was sporting Tala's gift of blue and silver arrowhead earrings, while team Flash wore a replica of the emblem on Barry's suit, in silver and mother of pearl. Tala stood at the podium while everyone except Cisco sat down in the chairs provided. Captain Lance was already there and shook their hands before Tala and Cisco sat down.

"I am Captain Lance. For those in Starling City, I am known as the man who tried and failed to stop the earthquake from happening. What many don't know is that while I was chasing the devices that were set to try and destroy the Glades, Tala was trying to convince her father to stop the undertaking, resorting to force to try and prevent this calamity. After Malcolm nearly broke her neck, Tala was left on a rooftop for the Arrow to find. It was the Arrow that stopped Malcolm Merlyn, and saved Tala's life. It was Tommy Merlyn who died, saving my oldest daughter, Laurel Lance from death at CNRI in the glades. I do not blame Tala for her father's sins, instead I thank her for doing everything she could to try and help this city." Tala stood, blinking tears out of her eyes, as she shook Quentin's hand again.

"Today is the day I step out of my father's shadow and bring my family's company to new heights, reaching forward to help humanity, rather than to harm it. Working closely with Palmer Tech, and Star Laboratories has taught me many things. The most important of which is this; we will make mistakes, we will fall down and trip over our own two feet. That doesn't matter. What does matter is how we get back up. If we get back up by tearing everyone down to the level we fell to, we are no better than Malcolm Merlyn. Instead, I will stand again, bringing my company and as many people as I can up with me. No longer the Merlyn Global Group, we are now Merlyn Industries!" Tala said, gesturing to the building.

"Today we open the first Merlyn Industries building. However, as a gift to Tala, who has worked tirelessly to help people, I worked with the Board of Directors to surprise her with this ribbon cutting. Tala, and people of Starling City, may we present to you," Cisco lead Tala over to cut the ribbon, before gesturing to the still covered sign. "Tala, may I present to you, the Tommy Merlyn Memorial Building."

Tala covered her mouth as she gasped. Cisco revealed the sign, a picture of Tommy smiling at her. She looked at Cisco with tears in her eyes.

Tala grabbed another glass of champagne off a passing waiter's tray, setting her empty glass on the bar behind her. She took a sip and walked over to Laurel and Quentin, hugging them both.

"Thank you, for your words about Tommy. Did you and Cisco plan all that?" Tala asked, looking at the Police Captain.

"He said he wanted to make it special for you. Felicity suggested honoring Tommy." Tala beamed at Quentin before letting Felicity drag her over to Ray.

"Tala, you know how to throw a party!" He cheered, holding a beer in his hand that wasn't wrapped around Felicity's waist. Tala snorted.

"I'm the little sister of two of Starling's worst playboys. Of course I know how to throw a party. Besides, we have a lot to celebrate. My company is starting over, and so am I. Family is everything to me, and I'm going to start showing that more. I'm going to take care of my own." Felicity tapped her glass to Tala's, smiling. Tala felt herself pulled away by Cisco.

"Dance with me." He said, dragging her onto the small dance floor. Tala smiled and set her empty champagne glass down on a table as they passed. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around Cisco's neck. She laid her head on his shoulder, looking at him smiling.

"You are amazing. You know that?" Tala said to Cisco.

"Just for you," He said, leaning down to pull her into a kiss.


	12. 112 The Man in The Yellow Suit

Tala sneezed as she woke up, jerking herself out of the cocoon of warmth Cisco and the blankets created. She groaned and pulled the comforter over her again, mentally thanking Nyssa for sending them from Nanda Parbat. Tala sighed, knowing she wouldn't get back to sleep. Tala gently pulled herself out of Cisco's grasp, already reaching for her sweater on the nightstand. She shivered as she pulled it on, looking around for her warm pants. She pulled them and a beanie on, reaching for her warm cloth fingerless gloves and fuzzy socks. She padded downstairs, trying not to wake Cisco as she sneezed again. Tala glared at the Christmas tree in the living room, blaming it for her misery.

She walked into the kitchen, turning on the coffee maker as she dug for her hidden stash of allergy pills, taking twice the suggested dose before hiding them again. Cisco was so excited about picking out and decorating a tree, she didn't have the heart to tell him no, despite her horrible allergy to pine trees.

"You're up early," Cisco said as he shuffled into the kitchen.

"I got cold. Sorry if I woke you up," Tala said, pouring him a mug of hot coffee.

"You got cold, under two down comforters, and a quilt my grandma made? How?" Cisco asked, genuinely surprised.

"I hate winter," Tala grumbled, pulling her beanie down further over her ears. She finished her cup of coffee and went upstairs to get dressed in the warmest pair of pants she could find. Tala settled for leggings and leg warmers tucked into boots with a thick flannel under one of Cisco's jackets, under a thick winter jacket and her beanie. Cisco smiled at her as she came back downstairs, tugging her leather fingerless gloves on.

"Cody and Kyle are in Jamaica for their anniversary, so we're taking the bike. Dress warm." Cisco placed a kiss on her cheek, then ran up to change. Tala tossed a ball of blue matter at him, which Cisco dodged. Tala grinned, happy that her training was starting to stick. She wanted Cisco protected, and that meant training him in hand to hand. He came back down a few minutes later, as Tala was filling their thermoses with coffee. She grabbed a scarf as they left, pulling on helmets.

Tala shivered as they stepped into the cortex, Cisco shaking his hair out from the mess the helmet left it in.

"How are you cold? It's not even snowing!" Caitlin said as Cisco rubbed his hands up and down the assassin's arms, trying to warm her up. Tala just shrugged and shivered again, pulling out her thermos. She settled into her chair while switching her leather riding gloves for cloth ones that held more warmth. Barry sped into the room, wishing them all a Merry Christmas. He started passing out presents.

"Just a small token of my gratitude for everything you've done for me the past year," He said, handing Tala a present wrapped in red and green.

"I think I speak on behalf of my colleagues when I say you've been a gift for us," Harrison said. Tala smiled at Barry, surprised that he'd thought of her. Barry pulled a thermos out of his bag and set it on the desk.

"What's that?" Caitlin asked, eyeing it up.

"This is compliments of Iris. Grandma Esther's famous eggnog."

"Yo, I need me some of that," Tala said, standing, smiling and nodding.

"That's what I'm talking about," Cisco said, moving to find cups. Tala waved her hand, pulling five blue and silver cups into existence, floating in front of each person on the team.

"Maybe later for me, I wouldn't want to drink and drive." Harrison said, wheeling away. Tala shrugged and let his cup flicker away into tendrils, then nothing.

"Did I say something wrong?" Barry asked Caitlin, who looked toward Doctor Wells sadly.

"No," She said, shaking her head.

"No, man, this used to be his favorite time of year." Cisco explained, pouring them all a bit of eggnog. "But the accident happened before Christmas so it ruined the season a bit."

"First Christmas in a wheelchair, sure to put a damper on things." Tala said, picking up her cup. Caitlin shook her head.

"I'm gonna go get him a present, see if that'll cheer him up." She looked sadly after her mentor again before grabbing her purse. "Thanks again for the present." Caitlin left, heading toward the garage. Barry turned to the two engineers.

"So what are you two doing for Christmas?"

Tala sneezed again, and stepped away from Barry.

"Catching cold apparently. Tala, are you okay?" Cisco asked, looking at her worriedly.

"Were you tree trimming before you came over?" Tala asked Barry; setting her eggnog down on the desk so she could sneeze again.

"Yeah, until Joe got called in and Eddie came over." Barry said, shrugging. "Why?"

"Ugh," Tala groaned, about to tell him about her allergy, until she remembered the tree Cisco wanted to decorate when they got home. He had spent the entire weekend looking for the perfect ornaments at the mall, and had acted like a child. "I think there's some dust from your ornaments left on your clothes. No worries."

Tala grinned at Cisco and Barry, groaning internally. She finished her cup of eggnog.

"I think I'm gonna head down to my gym and warm up some. Yell if you need me." Tala said as she walked away. She paused as she turned the corner, listening to Cisco eagerly tell Barry about the tree and the ornaments. She groaned as she stifled another sneeze on her way to her gym. She dug out her allergy pills and took another dose, hoping they started working. Tala pulled off her probably excessive layers of shirts and started pulling her way up the salmon ladder. She smiled as she felt her muscles pull and start heating up. She turned herself upside down and watched her beanie fall to the ground.

Cisco walked into Tala's gym to find her sleeping on the mat under her leather jacket. He laughed and shook his head, moving over to wake her up. He knelt down to shake her shoulder, and suddenly found himself pinned to the mat, a blue knife hovering above his neck. It vanished as quickly as it appeared as Tala woke up more.

"Cisco, oh God, Cisco, I'm so sorry!" Tala said as she rolled off him, pulling him upright and hugging him.

"Tala, I'm fine. You'd think I'd have learned to not shake an assassin awake, but apparently not. I promise, I'm fine." Cisco reassured her as he took her hands and pulled her to her feet. "I'm more worried about you, sleeping on the mat in here. Did you work yourself too hard again?"

Tala avoided eye contact with Cisco, answering his question. He sighed and tossed her the flannel she wore in that morning.

"I didn't realize it until I got down, then I was tired so I decided on a nap." Tala said, pulling her shirt on. She sighed, knowing she'd be sneezing at two am again. "I didn't think I'd be out so long."

Tala breathed a sigh of relief as she walked into her gym to take another dose of allergy pills.

"I'm going to set that damnable tree on fire as soon as Christmas is over." Tala growled, swallowing the medicine.

"What are you doing as soon as Christmas is over?" Caitlin asked from the doorway. Tala turned around, hoping her expression was blank.

"Taking a vacation some place warm. I hate the cold." Tala said, absently rubbing her eye.

"I think you have a cold, your eyes are red." Caitlin said walking closer, looking Tala over.

"I'm not sick." Tala said quickly, dropping her hand and trying to avoid eye contact.

"Tala, what's going on?" Caitlin asked, using her Doctor voice. Tala sighed and sat in the chair behind her.

"I'm allergic to Christmas trees. But Cisco wanted one because our living room is big enough for one and his apartment wasn't. So I said yes because he gave me that cute smile he has. I thought we would get a fake one. He picked out this real one, and it sits right next to the air vent so it blows everywhere and I've been taking allergy pills like they're candy because he was so excited and he bought a thousand ornaments, and I'm not sleeping because I can't stop sneezing!" Tala said waving her hands around in frustration as she sneezed again. "Please tell me there is a shot or something you can give me that will make the sneezing stop before Cisco notices?"

Caitlin looked at the miserable assassin sadly.

"I can try and whip something up for you. But I think you should just tell him."

"Tell who what?" Cisco asked, walking into the room with a cup of coffee for Tala.

"That I can't wait to decorate the tree tonight with you. I've never actually done it before. My caretakers weren't big on the commercialized version of Christmas, choosing instead to drag me to church half the night. Then I was in Afghanistan, then I converted to Islam, and we don't celebrate Christmas. We have Eid and Ramadan," Tala rambled, trying not to look guilty.

"Really? You don't celebrate Christmas?" Cisco asked, surprised he didn't know.

"You're Muslim?" Caitlin asked, also surprised.

"Yeah. I don't wear the head covering, nor do I pray every time I'm supposed to, but I still practice the faith. Everyone in the League follows it to some degree, but I found it in Afghanistan and I found comfort and life in it," Tala explained, glad the conversation had drifted away from her allergy.

"Guys?" Barry's voice came through the PA. "We need you up in the cortex."

Tala shrugged and left the gym, wrapping her arm around Cisco's shoulders as they walked. Barry, Joe and Harrison were scattered around the cortex, looking upset about something.

"There was a break-in at Mercury Labs last night." Barry said, causing Tala's eyes to widen.

"Is Tina alright? She wasn't hurt was she? Was anything stolen?" Tala asked, sitting down in her chair.

"Two guards are dead. Nothing was stolen." Joe said. "But the witness reported seeing a yellow blur. Just like the one that killed Barry's mother." Tala's face fell blank, her eyes calculating as she felt Harrison's energy spike with anxiety.

"Then we need to get cracking and catch this speed psycho." Cisco said, sticking a candy cane in his mouth. "That wasn't - I wasn't trying to give him a name."

Tala grinned and grabbed a candy cane, turning to Barry.

"The crime at Mercury Labs was on a floor with highly secured vaults." Barry said, looking thoughtful. "And the witness said he was looking for something."

"He wanted it badly enough to kill for it." Tala said, tapping her candy against her lip, not looking at Harrison, but feeling his energy.

"Doctor, what do you know about Mercury Labs?" Joe asked, looking over at Harrison. Tala briefly felt his energy spike, and frowned.

"Mercury Labs was one of Star Labs' major competitors until our little setback. And then it catapulted to the forefront."

"Doctor Christina McGee, a brilliant physicist runs the company, but often comes to me for financial advice or to keep me appraised of whatever she's working on. I studied under her for a few months and we became close." Tala shrugged. Barry and Harrison looked at her in surprise.

"Do you know everyone?" Cisco asked her, completely surprised.

"I don't think so, just a lot of the major players. I'm an assassin, I need to know who I might have to kill or save depending on the price tag." Tala shrugged. "I'm also a multi-billionaire who likes making more money. I need to know where to invest."

"It says here that Doctor McGee secures half a billion dollars in private funding to develop and I quote 'prototypes for the technology of the future,'" Cisco read off. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"Maybe because we own the company she got the money from. You signed the document to transfer the money over to her. We both did," Tala said. "Tina needed extra funding to screw around with Tachyons."

"Superluminal particles." Harrison explained to Joe.

"So, what could someone do with one of those... things?" Joe asked.

"We don't know yet. Tachyons are mostly theoretical. Become invincible. If modified, they could make a speedster faster. Think that's what this asshat wants? I doubt a villain is looking for a potential source of clean energy," Tala scathed, forcing herself not to glare at Harrison.

"He's gonna try again," Barry said, looking worriedly at Tala and Harrison. "We need to use what Mercury has as a lure."

"You mean borrow or take Tina's Tachyons, and set a trap here?" Tala asked, her mouth falling open. "I don't know if that's stupid or just plain insane! I'm trying not to think like a CEO who stands to lose a few hundred million if your plan fails, but as your friend and fellow enemy of this rogue speedster. How do you expect to trap a speedster?"

"Between the four of us here, we can engineer a trap." Harrison said, wheeling himself backwards. Tala looked to the ceiling for help, before meeting Joe's eyes.

"Joe, can I speak with you? Alone?" Tala asked, grabbing his arm and guiding him down to her gym. Once she was certain they were alone, she waved her hand around the room, throwing up thick walls of matter, so thick they couldn't be seen through.

"What's this about?" Joe asked, looking nervous.

"I don't trust Harrison. At all. Last week, I was on the phone with Tina while she begged me for money. The only people who knew she had Tachyons were me, Cisco, Tina, the scientist that was your witness, and Harrison, who overheard me asking Cisco to sign the paperwork. Three weeks ago you were investigating his potential involvement in Nora's murder, and the yellow guy shows up, threatening Iris. And now there's this..." Tala shook her head, shrugging. "I think Harrison put Bette up to killing Eiling too. Can't prove it though. I also had a friend who used to work for Harrison, he told me not to be here when they turned on the accelerator because it was faulty. He told me Harrison fired him because he had noticed it wasn't going to work. My friend is a genius, but I doubted him because I trusted Doctor Wells."

"How do you know all this stuff, I only told Barry about the threat to Iris this morning." Joe said, looking at the assassin, vaguely impressed.

"I've had an assassin following Harrison for a few days. When they noticed you investigating him, I put one on your tail. Mostly to protect you, but also to find out what you know. You don't have to worry, Sarab went back to Nanda Parbat." Tala paused, thinking. "Actually, now that I think about it, I've been called back too. I might have to miss the New Year. Anyway, I wanted to share what I knew with you. You should go before Harrison becomes suspicious."

"Do you think he's the man in yellow?" Joe asked, standing to leave.

"I do. But so far my only theory about how he is, involves time travel. So I don't know." Tala shrugged, waving her hand to drop her powers. Joe left the building and Tala went to find Cisco, grabbing a tablet and pulling open company work as she walked. Tala waved as she passed Caitlin, who looked to be leaving.

"Where ya headed?" Tala asked, looking up from a passive aggressive email from one of her board members.

"Jitters. Want anything?" Caitlin asked. Tala paused, thinking and pulling out her credit card, passing it over.

"Lots of espresso and creamer. Thanks, Thalaj," Tala said, grinning happily. Caitlin nodded and left, leaving Tala to continue on to where Cisco and Harrison were. She just entered the room when her phone rang. She groaned, hoping it wasn't the board.

"Merlyn?" Tala answered, passing the tablet to Cisco. She sighed in relief when it was Barry.

"We're going to talk to Doctor McGee about borrowing her Tachyons. Doctor Wells said he was on his way." Tala glanced around the room and indeed didn't see him. "I was hoping you'd come too, just in case she says no."

"You think I can convince Tina to do anything?" Tala scoffed. "You should be able to convince her with just you and Harrison. If she says no too strongly, just tell her I'll be heavily involved. And that I'll reimburse her fully if anything goes wrong. Hopefully she doesn't hate Harrison too much."

"Are you sure?" Barry wondered, sounding unsure. Tala rolled her eyes.

"You'll be fine. Now I've gotta go, I need to finish this trap," Tala ended the call. "Hopefully Tina says yes, but knowing her, she won't."

"I think this should work. I'm going to go see if Caitlin is back." Cisco said, patting Tala on the shoulder as he left the room. Tala looked around at the machine, wondering if it would work to stop the man in yellow. She turned it on, deciding to test it with her powers. She turned to face the bubble like force field and nearly jumped out of her skin, instantly pulling her armor to her, she drew and aimed an arrow at the man in yellow.

"What in the world?" Tala muttered, slipping into Arabic to hide her sudden fear. The man didn't move, he just stood there. He turned and looked at her.

"Doctor Wells, we meet at last," He said, his voice deep and vibrating, like Barry's did when he distorted them. She reached out with her powers, and they fell through him, like a hologram. She turned around and saw no one. "My goals are beyond your understanding."

"Who are you?" Tala mused to herself, letting her bow drop. She pushed her armor away, realizing she was in no danger.

"Oh, I'm not like the Flash at all. Some would say I'm the reverse." Tala flipped the switch, resetting the machine. The hologram vanished leaving Tala in the room alone with her thoughts. She frowned, her distrust of Harrison spiking to new heights. She needed to know his plans, and why he was pushing Barry to go faster.

"Harrison, you are totally ruining my holiday plans." Tala groaned, rubbing her forehead in frustration. She pulled up the code Cisco was running on the supercapacitors. Everything looked like it would work; she had no doubts about Cisco's skill at engineering. It would let anyone moving at normal speed through, without letting a speedster using their abilities through. But it was set to fail at a specific point in time, making it look like the Reverse Flash escaped. Tala stuck her tongue out at the computer, the programming too advanced for her to undo the problem.

"Alright, new plan. Find the suit. Harrison has to keep it around here somewhere." Tala sighed and closed everything up, making it appear she was never there. She walked back to the cortex slowly with her eyes closed, letting her powers explore. She stopped when she felt something vibrating with energy. She frowned when she opened her eyes to a blank wall.

"Something about that wall bothering you?" Cisco asked, placing his hand on her back. She blinked at him, confusion filling her eyes.

"I thought I felt energy, but it must've been you coming down the hall. What's up?" Tala shook her head, facing Cisco with a smile. She flicked her fingers behind her back, marking the area with a blue splash of her powers on the ceiling.

"Caitlin thinks Ronnie is alive," Tala felt her heart leap into her throat.

"I didn't fail?" Tala asked, her voice barely a whisper. She looked at Cisco, not realizing she stopped walking. Cisco saw hope, fear, and something else in her eyes. He reached out to cup her cheek.

"Let's find him and find out, yeah?" Tala smiled at him and nodded, mentally pushing aside the problem with Harrison in favor of finding the man who could make Caitlin smile again.

Morning came too quickly for Tala who woke up sneezing again. She looked out the window and saw that it was still dark out. She rolled over, intent on burying herself under the blankets and Cisco's arm, only to find him already out of bed. She squinted as she looked around, reaching for her glasses on the nightstand. She rubbed her eyes before putting them on.

"Stupid allergies, can't even wear contacts." She whispered, starting as Cisco opened the bedroom door.

"What are these?" Cisco asked, tossing a small bag of blue pills at her. Tala caught them and closed her eyes, knowing she was busted.

"Caitlin made me extra strength allergy pills." Tala paused to sneeze twice before opening the bag and quickly swallowing one. "So I can make it past Christmas with that thing trying to kill me."

"You're allergic to the Christmas tree." Cisco said softly, things falling into place. "Tala, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you were so excited. You smile every time you see the thing, and you gushed about the ornaments. You were bouncing around, and singing carols when we decorated it. I couldn't bring myself to take that away from you. Especially when our best friend is a bioengineer who could make me a special pill to prevent me from dying." Tala said, adjusting her glasses. She didn't look at Cisco, choosing instead to look down at her lap, her cheeks burning red.

"I would've been just as happy with a fake tree. Tonight, or tomorrow we will take the tree down and get a fake one. I'll find someone who can, like, sanitize the house to get rid of the allergens too." Cisco sat next to her, and made her look at him. Sincerity shone in his eyes, making Tala lean over and kiss him gently. Her phone going off broke them apart.

"Barry and Joe need us at Star Labs this morning." Tala sighed and stretched before getting up and getting ready. Cisco set her thermos down on the nightstand, already full of coffee.

"Last night, I saw the man in the yellow suit," Barry said as Tala entered the room. She frowned and pulled her tablet out, opening her file on the speedster. There was an entire document, written in Arabic about her theories on him being Wells. "He acted like he knew me. Like we'd done this before." Tala frowned, thinking back on her theory about time travel. She made eye contact with Joe and glanced toward Harrison.

"He was antagonizing you, Bear," Joe said, looking back to Barry.

"I would get close and he would pull away. This was just some sick game to him." Barry raged, looking at Tala.

"You'll catch him. I'll help. And I'll put an arrow in him for you. For your mother." Tala said, nodding with determination.

"No, you don't get it, alright? His speed, it's beyond me. I'm not the fastest man alive, he is. So how do we catch someone I can't even keep up with?"

"The trap Cisco and Harrison built. I checked it over last night. Joe or Cisco or I could run full speed through it easily, but if anyone, you or this bastard, vibrate like speedsters do, they'll get in, but they won't get out." Tala said, moving forward to take hold of Barry. She felt Harrison's energy pick up threateningly and she knew she had him. She looked at Barry until he nodded then she pulled away. "All we need is for you and Detective West to get the bait. Get the tachyon particles and then we can trap him."

Tala moved back and stood behind Harrison, a slight smirk on her face.

"Harrison, can I speak to you, privately?" Tala chirped, beaming at the Doctor. He nodded and led the way down the hall to his office. Tala stopped in front of her marker. "I think in here will do, actually."

Harrison turned around, facing the assassin with a raised eyebrow. Tala reached over with a grin on her face, tracing her fingers lightly along the wall until she hummed.

"Here's the switch." She pressed her hand against the wall and a door opened, leading into a darkened room. "After you Harrison, I insist." She smiled, showing all her teeth as she gestured to the room. Harrison nodded stiffly and wheeled himself in the room. Tala stepped in, letting it close behind her.

"So, are you going to tell me why you killed Nora Allen, or would you prefer to stand and stretch your legs first, Reverse-Flash?" Tala asked, leaning against the wall. Harrison stood, a small smile on his face as he sped over, aiming for Tala. She grabbed his arm and twisted, slamming him against the wall. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell me what the hell you're actually doing, I'm going to extract a promise from you, then I'm going to walk away and pretend I don't know you're a lying bastard, deal?" Tala growled into Harrison's ear. She felt him stop vibrating and she let him go.

"Why can't I kill you?" Harrison asked, looking at her uncertainly.

"Your speed can't get through my powers. Nothing can unless I let it. So start talking." Tala growled, flicking tendrils around her fingers.

"My name is Eobard Thawne," He started, crossing his arms. "I am the Reverse Flash. Fifteen years ago, the flash and I were fighting, racing throughout Central City. We ended up coming through time, landing in this Central City, the night of Nora's murder."

"You wanted to kill Barry before he became the Flash. But the Flash from your time stopped you. You killed Nora Allen instead. Petty," Tala scoffed.

"I left the house, intent on racing back to my time but I couldn't. My speed won't stay where I need it. I found Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan, killing her and taking over his body," Eobard said.

"To make the particle accelerator and ensure Barry became the Flash so you could use his speed to get you home?" Tala asked, causing Eobard to smile slightly.

"Yes. It is ironic, I know. I had to create the man I hate," Eobard said, leaning against the wheelchair. "But I wasn't counting on you. You don't exist in the future, not you or your name. Why is that?"

"I'm good at erasing my footprints. Also this conversation will probably lead to me deleting myself from the metahuman base and the history books. I'll stay online as the CEO of my company, but not as anything to do with the Flash. Unless you coming back in time changed the timeline. Who knows, I'm not a Time Master." Tala shrugged.

"I've been coaching Barry to get faster, because he can open a rift to let me get back to my time," Eobard explained.

"But now, why reveal yourself now? The tachyons. You overheard me asking Cisco about signing over the money for Tina. You're really not good at this. I had you made since you threatened Iris's life. But here's what's going to happen, Eobard," Tala stalked forward, grabbing the speedster by his shirt, throwing him against the wall hard enough to rattle his teeth.

"I'm going to help you get back to your time. I'll even help you get ahold of the Tachyon particles, on the condition that you swear on your speed, on all you hold dear. You swear to me, a blood oath that you will never harm Francisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow or Barry Allen. You hurt any of those three and I swear on my title as Warith Al Ghul that I will kill you. Do you understand me?" Tala shook the man, banging him against the wall again. Eobard looked in her eyes and nodded, seeing the truth in her threat. She let go of him.

"You need to remember that I'm an assassin, and I know who your ancestor is. I will kill Eddie with a smile on my face if I need to," Tala left the room, leaving a thoughtful Eobard alone. Tala shook herself and removed her sensor as Cisco walked up from where he'd been working.

"There you are. Hungry? I'm about to run and get some lunch. How's pizza?" Cisco asked, walking up to the cortex. Tala checked the time on her phone, seeing that it was in fact time for lunch.

"Can we get coffee too?" Tala asked, making Cisco laugh. She smiled, happy knowing he was protected.

"Alright, so we're tracking down Ronnie? I'm coming too. I need to know if I failed," Tala demanded, glaring at her friends. Caitlin sighed and nodded.

"I wanted to keep this between as few people as possible, but one more won't hurt. Come on," Caitlin said, climbing in the Star Labs van. Tala grinned and hopped in the back. Cisco drove them to a creepy looking deserted warehouse.

"We follow the ionized particles and that should lead us right to him," Cisco said as he pointed down a specific hallway. Tala stood out front, armor on, just in case. "The CPM's are increasing. We should've told Doctor Wells or Barry."

"No, not until we're sure it's him," Caitlin said. "Look, Ronnie isn't how you remembered him."

"What does that mean?" Cisco asked, glancing at Cait.

"Just, don't freak out when you see him." Caitlin said. The device in Cisco's hand suddenly died, making Tala grit her teeth warily.

"Oh, I really wish that was because the batteries were dead," Tala huffed, tendrils floating around her hands and casually wrapping themselves around her arms. She slowly led them forward, until a scruffy man stepped in front of their path.

"Ronnie?" Caitlin asked, pushing her way in front of Cisco. "Ronnie. It's me Cait. I brought Cisco and Tala here to help you. You were in an accident, do you remember?"

"I'm not Ronnie," He growled, forcing the words out. Tala thought he sounded like trainee assassins while under the influence of the drug.

"Do you know who you are?" Tala said, gently pulling Cait back. Ronnie started shaking slightly and Tala worried he would go all Flame On.

"Get away from me," He growled. Tala frowned, wondering if he was having trouble thinking clearly.

"We need to take you back to Star Labs. We'll help you remember who you are," Cait reached around Tala and took his hand. Tala saw him move and pushed her backwards. Ronnie grabbed Tala's face and pulled her close to him. Tala panicked for a second, hoping he wasn't going to kiss her.

"Firestorm," He hissed before he burst into flames. Tala threw up a barrier behind her and Firestorm, shielding Cisco and Caitlin from the heat. She grimaced when she felt the fire lick up her right arm, burning it. She dropped the barrier and turned back to Cisco and Caitlin.

"Can we go back to the Lab?" Tala held up her arm, showing the burn Firestorm accidentally inflicted on her. It snapped Caitlin and Cisco out of their confusion, each shifting into a concerned friend.

"I'm going to need to, though I've got burn cream back in the van. Let's go," Caitlin wrapped her arm around Tala's shoulders and led her back to the van, leaving Cisco to take up the rear.

Tala hissed when Caitlin started putting the cool burn cream on her arm, wrapping it with gauze.

"I know, sorry," Caitlin said.

"Forget about me, are you okay? Does anyone know what Firestorm is? That's what he said to me. At first I thought he was going to kiss me, and that was panic," Tala shook her head.

"I've never heard of Firestorm." Cisco said from the driver's seat. Caitlin looked at her and shrugged, not knowing either.

"Great, research. Just what I wanted to do." Tala hopped out of the van and walked down to the trap with Cisco and Caitlin. Joe was walking the other way, and grabbed her arm, steering her a different direction.

"Eddie is going to be here to catch the flash. If you go down there, you're either there as Tala or as the Blue Arrow. Decide now. He cannot know." Joe said, gesturing down the hall. Cisco looked at Tala, and tapped his bottom lip. She nodded and pulled her armor on. She placed her mask on and rubbed her thumb across her lips turning them blue.

"His stupid task force got approved? When was someone going to tell me that?"

"It's recent. Just, go. Make sure everyone is safe." Joe said, continuing on to the cortex. They followed him, Tala rolling her shoulders.

"The Tachyon device is in place." Cisco said, checking it on the monitors.

"Do we think it'll work?" Tala asked, flipping a knife around in her hand. She forced herself to not look at Eobard, for worry she'd give him away.

"It'll work." Cisco said, nodding to Tala and leaving the room. The assassin followed, making sure to keep her hood up and her mask on.

Cisco and Tala found Caitlin next to the pipeline door, crying. Cisco sat next to her while Tala leaned against the opposite door.

"Caitlin, don't worry. Hey, now that we know he's out there, we will find Ronnie again." Cisco said, laying his hand on her arm. Tala smiled at her from under her hood.

"Why? So we can throw him in there with all the other metahuman psychos? I used to play this game, in my head. What would I give up, for one more minute with him? My house, my career, the rest of my life? Today I finally got that minute. And I wish I hadn't. Seeing him like that, what he's become. Dear God, I wish he had just died that day." Tala watched as Caitlin dissolved into sobs. Cisco pulled her close, letting her cry on his shoulder. Tala moved and knelt in front of her, pushing her hood down.

"When Sara died, the first time, I played the same game. I'd give up my money, my title, my family. When she joined the League, the first thing I did was forgive her. Three days later, we were sparring and I broke her jaw." Tala sighed, taking Caitlin's hands within her own. "When she died the second time, Roy and John had to carry me out of the graveyard because I couldn't walk for sobbing. We will find Ronnie and we will figure out what Firestorm is. We will figure out a way to restore his memories and I promise you, you will have your fiancé back. I swear to you on my title as Warith Al Ghul."

Caitlin held Tala's hand, and grabbed Cisco's. Cisco grabbed Tala's free hand with his and they sat like that for a minute, holding each other tightly, before Caitlin straightened up. Tala's phone buzzed, alerting them to the arrival of Eddie and his anti-flash task force.

"Let's go catch us a bad guy, yeah?" Cisco asked, holding his hand out for Caitlin to take. Caitlin stood as Tala replaced her mask and hood. They walked up to the cortex, getting there the same time Eddie did. She looked at him, remembering what Harrison/Eobard told her.

"Who the hell are you?" Eddie shouted, drawing his gun. The task force aimed their weapons at the trio, forcing Tala to step in front of Cisco and Caitlin, throwing up a barrier to protect them if someone started shooting.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cisco shouted at Eddie, putting his hand against the visible barrier.

"Detective Thawne. It's good to see you again." Her voice floated over the task force, sending chills down their spines. Tala hid a grin at Cisco's newest modifications.

"Who the hell are you, I won't ask again!" Eddie shouted.

"I am The'eb Sagheer, Warith Al Ghul. I am the Blue Arrow, most recently however, I am called Spellcaster. I am here to assist Cisco and Harrison in the capture of the Man in Yellow. Can we get to that?" Eddie kept his gun pointing at her until Joe walked in the room.

"Eddie! What the hell are you doing? Stand down!" The task force and Eddie lowered their guns, looking between Joe and Spellcaster. She lowered the barrier, letting Cisco grab ahold of her and check her over, looking under the hood at her. Spellcaster pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I'm fine mi corazón. It'll take more than a task force to take me down." Tala said, not caring that everyone else heard her. "Thank you Joe, I'm afraid that Detective Thawne isn't too fond of seeing vigilantes. A good quality in a cop. A bad one for someone who partnered with one. Thawne, make certain I have no reason to hurt you."

Tala led Cisco and Caitlin to the cortex, while Joe rounded on Eddie. She sat Cisco down in her chair and stood protectively behind him, glaring whenever Eddie moved.

"We can remotely activate the Tachyon particles from here and send out pulses. That will alert the man in yellow that they are here instead of Mercury Labs." Harrison explained. "We can send one now, and another in a few minutes. Hopefully he doesn't realize it's a trap."

Tala swallowed a snort and placed her hand on Harrison's shoulder. They waited.

"Send out another pulse." Harrison said.

"Are you certain this trap will work?" Eddie asked, making Tala twitch toward her weapons. The blond detective raised his hands as a way of calming her down. She placed her free hand on Cisco's shoulder, making a very obvious claim.

"I've sent up at least three charges in open satellite. If anyone's looking for tachyonic particles, they'll know we've got them." Cisco said, looking up at Tala. She smiled at him, before squeezing Harrison's shoulder. He subtly pressed a button on his tablet. Tala hid her smirk as the Reverse Flash sped into the room, getting caught in the force field.

"Let's see what we caught." Tala and Harrison said, looking at each other. Tala led the task force down to the trap, Harrison wheeling himself behind them. Tala drew her bow, notching an arrow for the sake of appearances.

"Cisco, lights." Harrison called as he wheeled into the room. Back in the cortex, where they'd be safe, was Cisco and Caitlin.

"Sure thing, Doctor Wells," Cisco's voice came through the PA system. Tala briefly thickened the protection around her eyes to prevent her need for blinking as bright lights filled the room.

"Detective Thawne?" Harrison asked, glancing at him. "Would you like to read him his rights?"

She muffled a laugh by biting on the inside of her cheek, drawing blood. Joe walked slowly closer to the force field.

"Joe, what are you doing?" Eddie asked, nervous. Tala felt like she was pulling a joke on the entire police force.

"Getting answers." Joe muttered. "Fourteen years ago, you murdered Nora Allen. I wanna know why. Why?"

"Doctor Wells, we meet at last." The hologram said, looking over to where Harrison sat himself. Tala was impressed, he had been thorough.

"What do you want with the tachyonic particles?" Harrison asked, wheeling himself forward.

"My goals are beyond your understanding." The hologram said. Tala mentally tipped her hat to Eobard. His script flowed well. As long as he kept control, no one would catch on that he was the reverse-flash.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm a pretty smart guy." Eobard said. Tala grinned under her hood. "I knew you were exceptionally fast. Any trap we manufactured would have to be invisible. I knew your cells could repair themselves at extraordinary speed, so you could withstand the damage this is doing to your body right now." Tala heard beeping in her comms, coming from the cortex.

"The supercapacitors, the containment field is fluctuating." Cisco said.

"What does that mean?" Tala hissed.

"It means you need to get out of there right now!" Cisco shouted.

"The reason I know all this," Harrison was saying to the hologram. "Is because your powers are almost exactly like those of the flash."

"Oh, I'm not like the flash at all. Some would say I'm the reverse." The hologram said. Tala rolled her eyes at Eobard's dramatics.

"Tala, Doctor Wells, evacuate. Get out of there now!" Tala heard Caitlin say over the comms system. "Doctor Wells?"

Tala blinked as Eobard sped into the force field, using his speed to create an afterimage, like moving under a strobe light in a club. The Reverse Flash attacked Harrison. Tala screamed, letting people think she was reacting to the surprise.

"Cisco, turn off the barrier!" Tala shouted into her comms.

"If I turn it off that thing's going to get out!" Cisco said over the PA system.

"If you don't, he's going to kill Harrison! Turn it off!" Joe grabbed a wrench and hit the generator, as the Reverse Flash ran to grab the tachyonic particles before leaving. Tala raced forward, replacing her arrow in her quiver and dropping her bow. She slid to her knees next to Harrison and picked him up.

"I'm taking him up to the medbay. Detective Thawne, find him." Tala turned, holding Harrison who seemed to be leaping in and out of her arms every millisecond to maintain the speed mirage. In front of the wall was the Reverse Flash.

"Don't move or we will shoot." The Reverse Flash ran around, killing every member of the task force except Eddie before punching Tala across the face, sending her and Harrison sprawling. Tala shoved him back with a wave of matter, before kneeling and grabbing Harrison again. The Reverse Flash stood in front of Eddie, threatening him silently. Joe shot at him, forcing the Reverse Flash to shove Eddie down to prevent anything from killing him. The man in yellow slammed Joe against the supercapacitor.

"I warned you not to hunt me." The Flash sped in and dragged the Reverse Flash away. Tala stood carefully, carrying Harrison.

"Medbay." She said curtly, looking at Joe. She started walking away, making sure she was alone with Eobard. "Did you have to hit me so hard?" She whispered to him in Latin, knowing he was fluent.

"Had to keep up appearances." He whispered back. They entered the cortex and Tala placed Harrison on the bed. Cisco and Caitlin were nowhere to be found, so Tala started cleaning the worst of the abrasions herself. She knew the Flash and Reverse Flash were done fighting when she felt Harrison's energy settle.

"No one will suspect you anymore. Especially after you beat the living shit out of yourself." Tala muttered as she finished wiping blood off Harrison's forehead. Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry came into the room. Cisco was supporting Barry.

"Bring him over here, Cait, I need you to look over Harrison, make sure I didn't miss anything. Barry sit down, let me clean that up." Tala moved, grabbing a clean cloth and a bowl of water with her powers before gently cleaning around the gash on his temple.

"You're lucky you heal fast, Barry Allen would have to explain away a lot of injuries the Flash got," Barry pulled up his cowl and sped away as Eddie and Joe walked past the cortex and into the elevator to leave. Tala nodded to them both.

"I've been going over the data. I don't know why the containment system failed." Cisco said, sounding heartbroken and offended by the failure of a piece of his tech. "I must have missed something. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, mi corazón," Tala said, pulling him against her while Caitlin gave Harrison stitches.

"But, if you all feel a need to apologize for something, you might start with not telling me Ronnie is still alive," Harrison said, looking at them all.

"I asked them not to say anything." Caitlin said, looking at Tala and Cisco. "Once I saw what Ronnie had become, I needed... I needed time to see if I could make him whole again. I'm sorry, I know you're mad."

"No, I don't know what I would've done differently in your situation," Harrison gently took Caitlin's arm, pausing her work on his stitches. "I know I've made you a lot of promises. I know I've not been able to keep them all. But on my life, I promise you this: we will bring Ronnie home."

Caitlin smiled, nodding. Tala pressed two fingers over Ronnie's name on her bicep, pushing it away from the material. Cisco felt her move and looked, smiling at seeing one less name on the memorial.

"Come on Tala, Iris invited us all over for Christmas. There'll be eggnog," Cisco said, pulling her toward the door.

"Cisco, I've never celebrated Christmas before. I don't know what to do, what to say," Tala said, looking at their Christmas tree. Cisco turned to her, a smile on his face.

"Then come over. Drink eggnog, open the presents you're given, and give them the presents I picked out for everyone. I already put your name on them too. Please?" Cisco looked at her with the one expression he knew she couldn't say no to. Tala crumbled, slumping in her seat.

"What do I wear?" Tala muttered, standing and letting Cisco drag her upstairs. He had an outfit laying out on the bed. Tala smiled, nodding to him. "Alright, Francisco. For you, I will go. But you have to open your present here, first."

"You got me a Christmas present?" Cisco asked, bewildered.

"Of course. Just because I don't celebrate Christmas doesn't mean I don't know what it is. I used to always get Tommy presents. You have two," Tala reached under the bed and brought out two boxes. Cisco eagerly ripped into them before turning to Tala, his brown eyes wide. "Do you like them?"

Tala looked at him, crossing her fingers under the blanket.

"You bought me the newest game console on the market, and a knife set," Cisco stated, staring at the game system.

"Well, one is for you and one is for me. The games are for you obviously, but I'm going to teach you how to throw and wield knives. As better protection. I thought you'd like the burgundy better than my blue assortment. I made them all special for you, since you're right handed and all that. They're also custom measured to fit in your hand perfectly," Tala rambled until Cisco dragged her closer and kissed her.

They walked into Joe's house, greeted by Iris and Eddie. Tala handed them a bottle of mulled wine she had Emma send over from her dad's collection.

"Merry Christmas guys." Tala said, walking in the warm house. Caitlin grinned at them both, passing them a cup of eggnog. Tala beamed as she sipped the bourbon heavy drink. She sat on the arm of the couch, draping her arm behind Cisco while he chatted with Caitlin. Joe and Barry walked in.

"Hey!" They said, happy to see everyone.

"Yo!" Tala and Cisco said, turning and smiling.

"What are you guys doing here?" Barry asked.

"I invited them!" Joe said, clapping Barry on the back. "Where's Doctor Wells?"

"He wasn't feeling up to a social gathering. He was still sore from earlier." Tala said, making a sympathetic face. Caitlin offered Joe some eggnog, and Tala hopped up to get some more for herself and Cisco. She hugged Barry before moving into the kitchen.

"So Joe, can I get a copy of this recipe? Because this is the best thing ever." Tala asked, grinning.

"You like alcohol too much." Cisco said nudging her with his shoulder.

"Mmh. A day like today makes Grandma Esther's eggnog seem a little light on the bourbon." Joe said, taking a drink. Tala nodded along, agreeing.

"Hey Joe," Cisco said, losing his smile. "I saw something weird tonight."

"Yeah, Cisco, I saw it too." Joe said.

"No, I mean, when the Flash and the Man in Yellow were going full on bumper cars on each other... I was watching the electricity coming off of them." Cisco said, looking serious. "Yellow and red electricity. When Barry was a kid he said he saw red and yellow lightning in the house the night his mother died."

"There were two of them?" Tala asked, frowning.

"The man in yellow may have killed Barry's mother, but there was another speedster there that night." Cisco said. Tala decided to ask Eobard what happened that night.

"Dad, it's time!" Iris called from the living room. The three of them walked into the room where Joe placed an angel on the top of the tree. Iris started clapping and Cisco cheered. Tala smiled, but had no idea what was going on.

Tala sat up in bed, feeling someone in their house. She placed her hand on Cisco's shoulder and shook, clapping her hand over his mouth when he moved to speak.

"I did not have anyone coming tonight. Stay here." She whispered in his ear, pulling for her armor. She slipped out of the bed, padding silently toward the door. Once she was past it, Cisco grabbed one of the knives from his Christmas present and followed her, moving as quietly as he could.

"Nyssa? Why are you here?" Tala asked, pushing her armor away, leaving her in Cisco's shirt. She turned and nodded for Cisco to come down. He left the knife on the hall table before joining her at the base of the stairs, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Father fought in trial by combat, the murderer of my Beloved. He has fallen." Nyssa said. Tala looked at her, smiling before hugging her sister.

"Ta-er al-Sahfer's killer has been brought to justice my sister, I thought you would be happier?" Tala questioned, a smile still on her face.

"I do not believe the deceased to be her true killer." Nyssa said, looking at Tala. Tala felt a pit in her stomach.

"Who has Ra's Al Ghul killed?" Tala asked haltingly, suddenly afraid of the answer.

"Oliver Queen is dead." Nyssa said. Tala fell to her knees, a blood chilling scream filling the air. Cisco felt his heart drop, remembering the two weeks spent with the Starling City vigilante. Cisco thought about the suit he hadn't finished making and sank to his knees next to Tala. He pulled the hysterical girl to his chest and held her as she sobbed. Nyssa left, leaving her sister to cry herself into exhaustion in Francisco's arms.

Cisco leaned against the wall and cradled Tala as she cried herself to sleep. He stayed there, running his fingers through her hair until the sun came up and Tala woke up of her own accord. When she sat up, he didn't say anything, just held out his hand and moved them to the couch. Tala's Merlyn Industries tablet lit up, telling her she had received an encrypted video message. She didn't look at it until she saw Oliver's name as the sender. With shaking hands she opened it.

"Hi Tala. If you've gotten this message then the worst has happened and I'm dead. Before I tell you how or why I ended up dying, I need to get the important things out of the way. Stay in Central City. You've never been lighter than when you're with Cisco. He makes you happy. Don't lose him to your darkness like I did with Felicity. Do what makes you happy, not what you think I would want. Help Barry learn to fight. Make Caitlin smile like you always told me you wanted to do. Tell Cisco how you feel about him. Don't wait until it's too late.

We got the DNA back on the arrows that killed Sara. Caitlin didn't recognize the strain because it wasn't in the system, but Felicity did. I confronted the killer as the Arrow, but they had no memory of doing it. So I confronted the person I knew could make someone do something against their will.

Malcolm Merlyn drugged Thea while they were in Corto Maltese. He brought her back here and had her kill Sara, so I would kill Ra's Al Ghul to protect her. Don't let Malcolm get you to go after Ra's. My death satisfies the blood debt for Sara's life.

Stay in Central City, Roy and Dig can take care of Starling City. I love you, Tala. Live a good life." The screen went black, reflecting Tala and Cisco's heartbroken faces. Tala threw the tablet across the room and stalked to her cell phone, dialing her father's phone number.

"You dare?" She screamed when he answered. "You dare send Oliver to his death for your vendetta? You knew I would've taken Ra's on happily had you asked me to. But instead you sent my brother to die? How are you going to look at Thea knowing you killed her brother? How will you look at me knowing you killed both of mine?" Tala hissed, ending the call. Cisco caught her phone as she threw it at the wall before she collapsed on the floor of the kitchen sobbing again.


	13. 113 Revenge of The Rogues

Cisco woke up to an empty bed. He showered alone, before going downstairs to find the rest of the house empty, with breakfast sitting on the table. He shook his head before sitting and eating what Tala made for him. He knew that she was probably already in her gym at Star Labs, working herself into exhaustion. Cisco glanced at the clock on the stove, shaking his head at seeing it was eight in the morning.

Cisco filled her thermos with coffee before leaving the house, locking the door behind him. Cody nodded to him as Cisco got in the backseat of the company car.

"How bad was it this morning?" Cisco asked Cody.

"She didn't shiver in the cold, so she's either drinking or she's so numb she doesn't notice. When I took her to Star Labs, I'm assuming she was heading to her gym because she was wearing her gloves again. That was four hours ago. You have a board meeting this morning, don't forget," Cody said, turning to go into town. Cisco sighed and straightened his jacket.

"I know. Tala can't go to these; she'd murder one of them. That's not a press conference I want to have. While I'm in the meeting, will you run to Jitters, pick up doughnuts and coffee for the lot of us at Star Labs, including Tala? I need to try and keep something in her, even if it's coffee and doughnuts," Cisco pleaded.

"Of course. You're the boss, Mister Ramon," Cody laughed, making Cisco chuckle. Cisco got out of the car and entered the building, Kyle meeting him in the lobby with the itinerary for the meeting.

"The first thing they need to talk about is finances. They're beyond pissed we've spent another half billion on Mercury Labs when we just bought Star Labs. They also want to know where Tala is, and why she isn't here." Cisco sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I know. It's complicated. Her dead father got her brother who is a vigilante killed protecting her sister who killed her ex girlfriend. I've just been telling them she's lost a dear friend in Coast City. Let's stick with that."

"I can stick with that. Anything else I need to know about?" Cisco asked, taking the folder from Kyle and thumbing through it.

"They still want you to take the Merlyn name after your wedding," Kyle said, straight-faced. Cisco groaned, looking up for divine intervention.

"They do realize that the more they push for me to take the Merlyn name, the more likely she is to change her name, right? She's petty and spiteful that way."

"Ramon Industries, I can get with it. Maybe a green logo, instead of the sleek silver we have here," Kyle joked as the elevator opened on the conference room floor. He followed Cisco to the boardroom.

"Good morning everyone. Tala sends her apologies but she is in no fit state to attend this meeting."

"Is she alright?" One of the women asked, leaning forward in concern.

"A friend of hers from high school has recently died in a boating accident. Tala is in Coast City with her family, trying to help them cope with the loss while managing her own grief. That she was shipwrecked after her own boating mishap doesn't help, she is taking it hard."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." The same woman said, sending Cisco a sad look. "Please, send her our regards."

"I will, and I'm sure she will appreciate it. For now, she has asked me to run everything until she can return. Let's begin. Mister Greyson, how are our finances doing in the new year?"

Cisco pulled his hair from the knot Cynthia forced it into as he entered the cortex, carrying coffee and doughnuts for his friends.

"Woah, fancy digs there Cisco." Barry said, looking at him. Cisco glared at the speedster halfheartedly.

"Tala's personal decorator has taken it upon herself to attack me every morning I go into the office. She insists I tie my hair back, but she only succeeds in making it curlier when I take it out. Also, these are for you guys, courtesy of Merlyn Industries, which Cody and Kyle have jokingly started calling Ramon Industries because I'm there more than she is," Cisco huffed, pulling off his suit jacket and draping it over the back of his chair.

"It's been a month, and Tala hasn't said a word to any of us." Caitlin said, glancing down the hall worriedly. "How is she at home?"

"Some days she goes for a run as soon as we get back to the house, other days she's in the basement beating the stuffing out of her dummies. When she's not doing that she's sharpening and making new arrowheads. She talks to herself in Arabic."

"Is that all she does?" Barry asked around a mouthful of doughnut.

"When I try to talk to her she jumps me, thoroughly enough to exhaust me. I'm asleep before she is, and she's gone when I wake up. I only know she gets sleep because a few times I've woken up in the middle of the night for water and she's there. She makes me breakfast and coffee each morning."

"This isn't healthy for her. Maybe one of us should go talk to her," Caitlin said, looking around at them all.

"I'll go," Harrison said, taking his coffee and wheeling out of the cortex. Cisco sighed.

"We're training you today aren't we? At Harris air?" Cisco asked, looking at the speedster. Barry nodded, stretching in his chair. "I'll go call and make sure we can use the runway the Merlyn Jet is on."

"Alright, mister CEO," Caitlin said smiling at Cisco. He sent her a small smile back, pulling his phone out.

Eobard stepped out of his wheelchair as he passed through the wall of matter Tala had thrown up in the doorway to her gym.

"Training to beat Ra's Al Ghul, or training to beat your father?" Eobard asked, watching her behead another holographic figure. Tala threw a dagger at him, which he started vibrating to let phase through him and stab into the wall.

"Either one. Both will suffer for taking my brother and Nyssa's beloved," Tala hissed in Latin. She flicked her hand and her powers pulled her weapons back to their places on her suit.

"What about your beloved? Cisco has taken over your company. He mourns for you as surely as you mourn for Oliver and Sara." Eobard could see Oliver's name stitched into the memorial on her bicep. It was in a dark green thread, standing out from the silver of the rest.

"In two weeks the company will be signed over to Cisco's ownership. I will be either dead, or at the head of the league," Tala said, staring past Eobard, her voice flat.

"I can't let you do that," Eobard shook his head. "Barry needs you, Caitlin needs you. Cisco needs you here in Central City. I want you here."

Eobard stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder. Tala tensed, ready to shove him away or attack him. He moved his hand to hold her neck gently.

"This team, Team Flash, needs you. Barry needs you to train him to beat the Reverse Flash. I need you to train him so he can get faster." Eobard took a step back, still looking at Tala's sad dark eyes. "Oliver told you to do what makes you happy, not what he would do. Oliver would storm the gates of Nanda Parbat and kill everyone if you had gone to that mountain. You cannot do that. Oliver wouldn't want you to."

Tala sighed, knowing he was right. Oliver would kill her for doing this, especially over him.

"What can I do to help the team?" Tala pushed her armor back to it's stand, letting her clothes sit back on her body. Suddenly the all black felt wrong to her, like she was doing exactly what her father wanted her to. She waved her hand, coating herself in her powers, pushing until she felt her clothes change. Eobard smiled at her, holding out his hand to lead her to the door. He sat back in his chair as Tala waved the barrier away.

"We're going to Harris Air to train Barry's reflexes. We could use your help," Harrison said, looking up at the blue assassin. She nodded and followed him back to the cortex, where Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco were standing. They all seemed to sag when Harrison entered without her, but Caitlin smiled when Tala entered the room. She looked nervously at Cisco, feeling stupid for pushing him away from her so hard. He smiled softly at her, and she flew across the room to hug him, blinking away tears.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. Cisco held her gently, stroking her hair.

"You don't have to apologize for grieving. Come on, let's get going yeah?" Cisco said, leading her to the elevator. "Doctor Wells, I don't know what you said to her, but thank you." Harrison smiled as Tala took Cisco's hand as they went down to the garage where Cody was waiting with the Star Labs research truck running.

"Mister Ramon, Miss Merlyn, it's good to see you smiling again. Doctor Snow, Doctor Wells, Mister Allen. Harris Air awaits." The group piled into the truck and Cody drove them all to the airstrip.

"He really is handy to have," Caitlin said, smiling at Tala.

"He's the best. Never complains, despite the many times he's had to drive me somewhere at four am," Tala said, drinking the coffee Cisco brought for her.

"No more of that. From now on, you come into work with me, at a sane hour. And you need to be at the next board meeting, it's the quarterly report and it'll need both of our signatures to approve the new budget," Cisco said, shaking his head.

"You've really grabbed this CEO thing with both hands, haven't you?" Caitlin asked, raising an eyebrow. Cisco just shrugged.

"Sometimes it's fun. But I told Tala I'd help her with it, and I'm not going to abandon her." Cisco wrapped his arm around Tala's shoulders, pulling her close. She smiled at him, nearly removing the sadness in her eyes.

Tala grinned as she helped Cody and Cisco unload the truck, setting up computers for Harrison and Caitlin. Cisco pulled out two crates of military grade drones.

"Do I want to know how much those cost my company?" Tala asked, staring at the labels.

"You gave me the ability to use company money. And technically Star Labs is Merlyn Industries, and Star Labs did create the Flash, so technically this is for the company," Cisco said, making Caitlin and Barry laugh.

"Does that mean Barry's next suit is going to include a Merlyn Industries' logo?" Tala responded, making Harrison chuckle.

"No. That wouldn't look cool," Cisco scoffed, picking up the tablet to start the first drone. "Ready to start Barry?"

"Make it a challenge," Barry said.

Barry started running as the drone took off. Cisco flew it after him for a few seconds before starting to fire bullets. Tala watched with mild amusement.

"That was too close." Caitlin said, watching Barry dodge the bullet fire.

"He told me to make it hard." Cisco defended himself, directing the drone back after the speedster.

"He didn't tell you to make him dead." Caitlin said.

"Thalaj, Barry is coated in a thin layer of my powers. The bullets will bruise him at worst. He'll be fine." Tala said, glancing at the tablet in Cisco's hands, tapping a button.

"Remember, this is just supposed to be a training exercise to improve Barry's speed." Harrison chipped in, cancelling Tala's order on his tablet.

"Cisco, you gonna bring it or what?" Barry shouted into his comms. Cisco and Tala looked over at Harrison, like kids asking for ice cream.

"Bring it." Harrison said, smiling like an indulgent father. Tala wrapped her arms around Cisco's waist, hugging him from behind as he fired a small missile at Barry.

"You called the fire department and told them we had the airfield, didn't you?" Tala asked Cisco.

"Yep, taken care of." Cisco said as he aimed the drone at Barry. The scarlet speedster didn't move out of the way. Tala felt Harrison's energy tense up and turned to him, to see him inching out of his chair to race to get Barry out of the way. She glared at him.

"Why isn't he running away?" Caitlin asked, concerned. Cisco fired the next missile. Tala watched in horror as Barry ran toward the missile, jumping and grabbing it. He redirected it to hit the drone, causing a small explosion. Tala made an impressed face, as Harrison put himself back in his chair. Barry walked back toward the group, as Cody returned in his car, the backseat filled with burgers from Big Belly Burger. Tala grabbed two triple triples, one for her and Cisco before Barry ate through most of them.

"You do realize these drones cost more than your apartment building, right?" Tala asked him.

"Very impressive, Mister Allen. Your reaction to stimuli at super speed continues to improve." Harrison said as he started eating his fries.

"It's still not enough." Barry complained.

"It will be." Harrison reassured. "Keep working like you are, stay focused. You will be ready the next time your man in the yellow suit comes."

"I think you mean the Reverse Flash." Cisco said, grinning. Harrison and Barry looked at him. "What, he said it, not me. And, he's right. Yellow suit, red lightning, and evil. Reverse of Barry."

Caitlin made an unimpressed noise while Tala laughed hysterically in her mind.

"Actually I kinda like it." Harrison said, nearly breaking Tala's ability to keep a straight face.

"Alright, I'm so ready for another round. How many drones do you have?" Barry asked, already suited up in his Flash suit.

"Two. And they've got lasers." Cisco said, high fiving Tala.

"No." Harrison and Caitlin both said, making the engineers pout.

Tala sighed as she cuddled against Cisco in their bed. She missed this, being close with him. She was so relaxed that Tala nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang.

"Merlyn." She said, not checking to see who it was.

"Tala, it's me, Laurel." Laurel's voice came through, sounding sad.

"Hey, Little Bird. How are you?" Tala asked, smiling at Cisco, who asked who was calling. Tala just shook her head.

"You used to call Sara that, Little Bird. Then she became the Canary. Did you know how appropriate it would be?" Laurel asked. Tala ran her fingers through her hair.

"No, but looking back, there isn't a more perfect name for her. But that isn't why you called, is it?" Tala asked.

"No. I want, I need your blessing. With Oliver gone, it's Dig and Arsenal out there by themselves. They need help."

"And you want to go out there as the Black Canary. You want to step into your sister's boots." Tala's voice filled with pride. "You have my blessing Canary. Just be careful."

Tala ended the call and dropped her phone on her nightstand, rolling over to face Cisco.

"I missed you." Tala said, stroking his cheek. She leaned closer, pulling herself on top of him to kiss him fully. Tala smiled as she threaded a hand in his hair, taking control of the kiss. She groaned when her phone went off, telling her CCPD was called somewhere.

"Barry?" Tala said, dialing.

"Snart's back. Can you two come back to the lab?" Tala groaned but agreed to go back in.

"Just when I was starting to have fun. Come on. The ice king is back in town." Tala said, reaching for her sweat pants.

"Captain Cold is back, really?" Cisco asked as Joe and Barry came up the elevator. Tala tossed her helmet on the desk.

"For a non-metahuman, Leonard Snart is quite the nemesis." Harrison said.

"I think you mean, for a normal guy without powers, he's proving to be a real pain in our collective asses." Tala corrected.

"He still has the cold gun, the one he stole from us. The one I built." Cisco said bitterly.

"At least we know my powers can prevent the worst of it. We might be cold, but we definitely won't get third degree frostbite." Tala said, taking his hand.

"What does he want this time? Last time it was a huge diamond, but I don't remember seeing anything in the papers." Caitlin mused, pulling up the newspaper on her computer.

"The Rathaways. They were just in Paris where they bought this painting. Twenty five million they spent on it. I would bet money on that being the rogue's target. They should be home some time today." Tala said, glancing at an email on her phone. Rachel had sent her a picture of the painting, along with another request. Tala rolled her eyes as she read, upset about the scathing things she said about Cisco.

"Snart wants the Flash, probably," Barry said, shrugging, looking at Tala with confusion. "Who are the Rathaways? He didn't steal anything at the warehouse. He ditched out just before the cops got there, even though he had plenty of time to before that. And if he wants a fight with the Flash, then I'll give him one."

"Well..." Harrison and Tala both made uncertain noises.

"You don't think I should?" Barry asked, looking at them both.

"I didn't say that. But Barry, as fast as you are, you can't be everywhere at once. And it then becomes a question of priorities. And in the last month, you have made a commitment to increasing your speed, enhancing your reflexes. And it's working, you're finally getting faster."

"Okay, but what am I supposed to do? Just ignore Snart?" Barry asked, glancing at Tala. She shrugged and deferred to Harrison's judgment. Cisco frowned at her slightly, wondering why she let him take the lead when she usually challenged him for leadership.

"The last time you fought against Snart, a train derailed. You were lucky to get all those people to safety, and even luckier that Tala was there to fight him to keep him distracted. Now, if you don't give him that fight..."

"He may just back off." Tala finished. "Still, for my peace of mind for Rachel and Osgood, Barry will you ask Joe to have a few cops there when they arrive?" Barry nodded, smiling at her.

"Cisco, Tala and I will work with the police and create a way to devise a way to catch Cold." Cisco and Tala looked at each other with slight smiles. "Yes, Cisco, I said it. As soon as it came out of my mouth I heard it."

"We can definitely come up with a way to neutralize Snart." Cisco said, nodding at Barry. Tala smiled reassuringly at the speedster, walking over to grip his shoulders.

"We've got this." Tala said, looking up at her friend. "Cisco, come with me to your lab, I think I have an idea." Tala grabbed Cisco and dragged him to his lab. She closed the door behind him and pushed him against it, kissing him.

"I thought you had an idea to stop Snart?" Cisco said around the kiss.

"And I do, but right now, you are what I'm thinking about." Tala said, starting to press kisses down Cisco's neck. He groaned and tilted his head back, leaning against the door.

"Tala, you gotta wake up." Caitlin said, shaking Tala's shoulder. The assassin had her head down on a desk, sleeping atop a pile of something Caitlin couldn't identify. Caitlin shook her shoulder roughly before letting out a shriek at the sudden presence of a knife against her throat.

"Don't shake her." Cisco said sleepily, slowly sitting up from his desk.

"Too late." Caitlin squeaked, blinking as Tala removed the blade.

"Sorry. Habits." Tala groaned, stretching. "Cisco learned that fairly quickly. What did you need, Thalaj?"

"You. Actually. There's a church down the road from my apartment doing a clothing drive. I was hoping you could come over tonight and help me decide what to keep and what to donate. Girls night?" Caitlin said, smiling. Tala grinned, nodding her head as she stood.

"Sure! I haven't had a girl's night since... Well, there was once in Nanda Parbat, but really it was before then. It's been a while."

"Does that mean I'm on my own tonight?" Cisco asked, pulling a mock up of the police forces' riot shields over to him, looking at the designs Tala had drawn up before they fell asleep.

"Sorry Cisco." Both girls said, shrugging.

"Can I get some help from you Tala?" Cisco asked, looking at the pile of things in front of him. "This mess is entirely your design, and you need to help me build it."

"What is it?" Caitlin asked, following Tala over to Cisco's desk, buried under riot shields and bronze bands.

"Thermal threading. We're going to take the shields from SCPD and essentially make them microwaves." Tala said, grabbing a shield. "See this? It basically starts a chemical reaction whenever it reaches temperatures below negative fifty. The colder it gets, the hotter it burns."

"Uh, excuse me, if I could have everyone's attention please!" Cisco said, making Tala roll her eyes and smile from behind the riot shield she was holding.

"You have our attention, Mister Ramon." Captain Singh said, rolling his eyes. Tala bit her lip to not smile at the engineer.

"Okay, check it. Doctor Wells, Tala and I took your ballistic shields and-" Cisco started walking forward, stopping when Singh pointed Cisco's temporary cold gun at the floor. "And we lined them with a pretty sweet compacted heating ribbon, designed to repel temperature attacks. Especially those reaching absolute zero, like Captain Cold's gun. We've made you all a dozen, and they're a gift from Merlyn Industries."

Cisco turned and flashed a smile at Tala, who grinned at the police force. She saw a lot of the uncomfortable looks fade at the mention of her company. Star Labs still wasn't trusted.

"And that's supposed to keep us from getting turned into popsicles?" An officer asked Cisco, disdain clear on his face.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, they will." Cisco said annoyed with the officer.

"How are we supposed to trust anything from Star Labs after you nuked the city?" Another officer chipped in. Tala growled lowly at the attack on Cisco.

"Don't trust Star Labs then." Tala said, walking away from the wall she was leaning on. "Don't trust them. I wouldn't, they put me in a four-month coma. They caused the death of my best friend's fiancé. But I got to know Cisco and Doctor Wells. And now I trust them both with my life. I bought them out, keeping them afloat amid all the political attacks they've had to defend against. We can't change the past, Officer. But tomorrow, tomorrow is a different thing. And we just want a chance to make it better. Cisco, show them your skills." Tala said, glaring at the officers and detectives in the room before turning and grabbing the teched out shield.

Tala held it out in front of her, bracing her back foot because the gun has some shove to it. Cisco aimed the gun at her and nodded, before squeezing the trigger. Tala felt her arms get slightly colder before the shield heated up, melting away the ice. The cops nearest her gathered around, amazed at the new equipment.

"There you have it." Tala passed the shield to an officer next to her and walked over to Cisco, kissing him on the cheek.

"We did good, Koneko." She smiled.

"Are you ever going to tell me what that means?"

"Not in this lifetime." They laughed together, Tala leaning against Cisco. She sighed, thinking about Ollie. Cisco made her feel better about all the bad things happening in her life.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm starving." Tala said, waving Harrison over. She smiled at Cisco. "How does pizza sound?"

"Are you buying?" Harrison asked jokingly. Tala rolled her eyes and led them to the elevator.

Tala followed Caitlin into Jitters, where she approached Jason Rusch to ask about Firestorm. Tala wandered over to place an order for coffee.

"Hey Caity, nice to see you again." Tala said to the blushing barista.

"Hi Tala. How're you?" She stuttered.

"Better now for seeing you. Can I get a caramel brew and a decaf vanilla latte? To go?" Tala grinned, causing Caity to nod and start making the drinks. She took them with a smile, dropping a fifty in the tip jar, before joining Caitlin at Jason's table.

"What's the line, I never got paranoid until they were plotting against me?" Jason asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Why would they be plotting against you?" Cait asked.

"Because of our work, because of Firestorm." Jason glanced over his shoulder again. Tala hit the table with her palm, the man jumped.

"Trust me, I am the most dangerous thing in this city. Stop twitching." Tala growled, making Jason pale slightly.

"Transmutation?" Caitlin said, glaring briefly at Tala. "The ability to alter matter on a molecular level?"

Caitlin and Tala shrugged at each other, not understanding why someone who worked in transmutation would be so jumpy.

"We had some success on our stage one testing, working with sand grains. But Professor Stein said-"

"Sorry, Professor Martin Stein? He was the co-author of the paper?" Caitlin clarified. Tala sent his name to her tablet.

"Yeah. He was our team leader. He didn't believe in baby steps so we skipped straight to stage three."

"Which was?" Tala asked, hoping he would elaborate more. The more Tala knew the more she could have Sarab look into.

"We melted a concrete wall." Jason said, causing Tala to raise her eyebrows. She was impressed. "But the university threatened to shut us down, so Professor Stein published his paper without permission. They went nuts. So he went and talked to a friend of his to secure private backing."

"Tala?" Caitlin asked, wondering who else the billionaire was funding.

"That wasn't me. I don't know Professor Stein. I'm an engineer, not a physicist. Jason, who was it?" Tala said, shrugging at her friend.

"He didn't say, only that he would call me later. And no one has heard from or seen Professor Stein since." Jason said, his eyes darting around.

"What do you think happened to him?" Caitlin asked.

"All I know is that the Army showed up the next day and confiscated all our research. So tell me Doctor Snow, do you think I'm being too paranoid, or not paranoid enough?" Jason asked, staring at the two from Star Labs. He left, leaving the two girls by themselves. Cait and Tala finished their coffee, slowly lightening up and chatting, shaking Jason's paranoia off.

"Come on, let's get back to my apartment and start going through my closet." Caitlin said, rising. Tala waved to Caity behind the counter and followed Caitlin out to the parking lot.

"Does that church accept cash donations? I wouldn't mind donating." Tala mused as she went to open the driver's side door for Caitlin. Tala jerked her hand back as ice erupted over the door.

"Car trouble?" Tala pushed Caitlin behind her, springing for Leonard. He grabbed her by the collar of her leather jacket, spinning and slamming her against the truck behind him. The pyro grabbed Caitlin and held his gun to her head. Tala froze.

"Now little miss CEO, you're going to stop struggling, or my friend is going to give a whole new meaning to fiery redhead." Leonard whispered in Tala's ear, holding her tightly by the throat. Tala relaxed, waiting for him to move away slightly before jerking her leg up, hitting Leonard on the thigh. He fell to the ground. Tala dove and punched the man holding Caitlin in the nose, grinning ferally when she felt it break. He loosened his grip. Tala opened her mouth to tell Caitlin to run when Leonard pulled her to the ground by her ankle. Tala blacked out as her head hit the asphalt.

Tala woke up laying on the floor, staring up at Snart as he tossed a struggling Caitlin to his partner. She sat up as best she could with her hands tied behind her back, and pulled for her armor.

"Oh that's a cool trick. So you're the woman in blue. Good, I didn't want you to miss the show. Come along, stand here nice and pretty next to me, and don't struggle, or she gets a little too hot." Tala bared her teeth, but stood, letting Leonard wrap his hand around her bicep as he pulled out a camera phone. "Smile, you're about to be on national TV."

Tala growled at him, trying to jerk away, or to get her powers to form with a sharpened edge, but she couldn't do it.

"Greetings, citizens of Central City." Leonard said into the camera. Tala glanced back at Caitlin, making eye contact to try and calm her down. "I am Leonard Snart, but you can call me Cold. I'm gonna make this very simple for everyone. That red streak you've been hearing whispers about? Well surprise, he's real." Tala realized the camera couldn't see her; Leonard was letting Caitlin be seen more. "He calls himself the Flash. Porter and Maine. Tonight. Sundown. Come out, come out, wherever you are, Flash. Show the whole world you're real. Or these women die." Leonard said. He pulled Tala in front of the camera as the other man pulled Caitlin away.

"Don't come for us. We can handle ourselves! He'll hurt you!" Tala screamed as Leonard cut off the feed. Leonard backhanded her, knocking her to the ground.

"CEO of a big company, I might just keep you for ransom. But you're also the woman I fought last time I was in town. I stand by what I said last time." Leonard said, looking down at her. Tala chuckled darkly.

"I can't wait to kick your ass."

"You're still in cuffs. And I'm going to happily take your extra weapons off you." Leonard grabbed her by her hood, dragging her over to a pillar, hooking the chain between Tala's new bracelets to something wrapped around it. He started pulling her daggers out of her holsters, before feeling his way down her body to make sure he got everything. Tala stood there stoically, letting him do it, trying to find Caitlin.

"So, CEO, assassin, anything else you are?" Leonard asked idly.

"Are you chatting me up Leonard?" Tala asked coyly, almost grinning. "Because let me tell you, this is almost fun for me, except for my friend being in danger."

Leonard laughed as he pulled her quiver off her leg, tossing it across the room. Tala groaned as she heard her arrows scatter.

"I told you, you'd make a good criminal." Leonard said, standing to look in her eyes, his goggles back on top of his head. "I meant it. You could come with me and Mick. We'd make a good crew."

"I don't take orders. I give them, and something tells me you wouldn't submit to me." Tala taunted, tilting her head, letting her hair fall around her face. Leonard laughed again, unhooking her from the pillar and dragging her over to where Caitlin was tied to a chair. Mick was pointing the fire gun at Caitlin.

"Mick!" Leonard barked, pulling the pyro's attention away from Caitlin. Leonard dropped Tala in a chair, facing Caitlin, before wrapping ropes around her waist, ankles and wrists.

"Tying me up already? And with nylon rope, tsk tsk. Silk is more fun Leonard." Tala said, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Are you flirting with him?" Caitlin demanded, looking at Tala incredulously.

"Do you see anything else to do to pass the time? I didn't exactly bring a magazine with me. And we're going to be here till sunset at least." Tala hissed, shrugging as best she could.

"Can't you get us out of here? I thought this was within your skill set!" Caitlin shrieked.

"There are two of them, my special abilities don't do sharp, and Leonard took my weapons. Even if I get the drop on one of them, the other could turn on you and I'd be stuck. I can't make a move with you in danger. I lost your fiancé, I am not losing you, got it, Thalaj?" Tala barked, nodding slowly to Caitlin, letting her know she would do her damnedest to get them out of it.

"Mick, time to go." Leonard said, walking away, hovering near a doorway

"You two better pray the next people to come through here is us." Mick said, activating a tripwire. He pushed a gag into Caitlin's mouth, tying it around her head, before stomping over to Tala. She opened her mouth obediently, a small smirk set in her eyes. Mick tied the gag behind Tala's head, making it uncomfortably tight, before following after Leonard.

"Oh, and little killer, your seat is sitting on a weight sensitive pressure plate. If you get up, it'll set off another bomb. Just so you don't get any ideas." Leonard's voice floated back into the room. Tala growled through the cloth after him.

She turned to face Caitlin, urging her to stay calm as she sent her tendrils out in search of her weapons. Tala used two tendrils to pull the gag out of her mouth.

"This would be a lot easier if I could see!" Tala griped. A tendril to her left brought back a wrench, which she tossed away with an annoyed glare. Caitlin looked past her, hoping to catch a glimpse of something sharp. They both froze when they heard a noise.

"Tala? Caitlin?" Cisco's voice came from behind Caitlin.

"Oh praise Allah. Cisco, please, don't come over here." Tala said, pleading with him. Cisco didn't listen. Tala watched as he and Joe came into view. "Guys, keep back!"

"Tala, it's okay, we're going to get you out of here!" Cisco said, hitting the tripwire. Joe pulled him back.

"Joe, Cait! I can't move!" Joe pushed Cisco back and ran, pulling Caitlin out of the blast radius. It was a small charge, Leonard didn't want to set off the bomb Tala was sitting on. "I'm sitting on a pressure plate. I move we all die. Joe, get them out of here."

Cisco came running, freezing before he touched Tala. She had a bubble of her powers, preventing anyone from coming within a foot of her.

"What happened?" Cisco asked, looking from Tala to Caitlin.

"They got us at Jitters. Mick had the drop on Cait, I couldn't do anything without risking her. Leonard took my weapons, both in my suit and not." Tala paused, glaring at the ropes around her wrists. "They set me up on a pressure plate so I couldn't spring myself and get Caitlin free. You three need to get out of here. I can get myself out, but not without setting off the bomb."

"But the bomb will get you." Joe said, untying Caitlin.

"Joe, I'm a lot harder to kill than I look. Get Cisco and Cait out of here. Get clear, and fire your gun when you are. I'll know I'm safe to blow it then." Tala proved her statement by pressing her hand against the arm of the chair and dislocating her thumb, enabling her to pull her wrist free. "Chisana Koneko, promise me you'll go with Joe and Caitlin. Please?"

Cisco looked at Tala through her barrier and nodded. She smiled at him, before nodding to Joe. She pushed her thumb back into place and started untying herself, not leaving the small area of the pressure plate.

"I guess my father was wrong. I'm not ruthless. I'm not a cold-blooded killer. I'm just like Oliver, willing to do something really stupid for those I love." Tala scoffed, grinning as she heard the gunshot. "I hope this works."

Tala stepped off the pressure plate and listened as the bomb a foot behind her went off, destroying half the warehouse.

Cisco held Caitlin as they stood behind Joe. The detective fired his weapon in the air, signaling to Tala they were clear. There was silence for a moment before half the warehouse went up in flames.

"No!" Cisco and Caitlin screamed, trying to keep the other standing as their friend burned to death. They watched as the flames leapt around, merrily burning the building to the ground.

A dark shape moved through the fire, ducking under falling beams and leaping through a window to land on the asphalt, coughing. Tala groaned as her body ached. She stood and started walking over to where she could see Cisco, Cait and Joe standing. She pushed her barrier down as she approached.

"Ouch." Tala clutched her right side as she grinned lopsidedly at her friends. Joe saw her first.

"Tala?" He whispered, astonishment written over his face. Cisco looked up and saw a soot and ash covered Tala walking slowly toward them. He let go of Caitlin and ran toward her, tackling her to the ground in his excitement.

"Koneko. I told you I'm hard to kill." She laughed, ignoring the pain in her ribs.

"How did you pull that miracle?" Joe asked as he and Caitlin approached. Tala responded by pushing blue tendrils out to float around Joe and Caitlin, ruffling the bioengineer's hair.

"I'm a metahuman. I might not heal fast like Barry, but I can still do pretty amazing stuff. Cisco I need you to get off me, I've already got three or more cracked ribs." Cisco rolled off her, standing before leaning to help her up.

"Let's get to the precinct." Joe said, herding them all to his cruiser. "You two are going to have questions to answer. Especially about your suit."

Tala smirked and wrapped her arms around her friends, pulling them close.

"I'll tell the world who I am. Like that movie we watched. I'll tell everyone I'm the Blue Arrow. I can easily get out of anything Captain Singh tried to make stick." Tala sat Caitlin in the front seat, next to Joe, while she and Cisco piled in the back seat. "Though when we get back to the labs, you're going to have to patch me up Cait. My ribs hurt."

"What happened? After we left the warehouse?" Cisco asked, taking Tala's hand.

"I untied myself easily enough. I hadn't done it earlier, worried if I'd moved with Caitlin too close she'd get hurt. I wrapped my powers around me, and stepped off the pressure plate. The blast went off, loud as hell." Tala paused, shaking her head. "The chair I was on hit me. Then the whole building was on fire. That was the hardest part. I found the window and jumped out, hitting the asphalt. Oh, I might have a concussion too. Captain Cold knocked me to the ground when he first grabbed us, and I hit the ground hard."

Tala walked into the precinct behind Joe and Caitlin, her hood and mask up and on. Cisco was walking next to her, holding her hand. The officers that were already there applauded Joe and Cisco for rescuing them. They settled around Joe's desk, waiting for them to bring Mick and Leonard in. Tala started the cheering when the arresting cops walked in, leading them to processing.

"We'll burn every last one of you pigs! Get your hands off me!" Mick screamed, fighting the cop holding him. Tala grabbed the knife that Cisco carried and sprang forward, holding it to Mick's throat.

"I'm not as dead as you wanted me to be Mick. I'd stop struggling before you end up dead." She hissed in his ear. He stilled. Tala handed him over to Captain Singh before giving Cisco his knife back.

"Your partner's a real hot head." Joe said to Leonard, who ignored him, looking at Tala.

"So you both survived. I'm glad you did, Little Killer. Tell me, do they know who you are? Who I kidnapped?" Leonard asked, staring at her with half a smile on his face.

"No, and they won't. You won't tell them because it's an advantage for you. They won't ask because I'm known as a friend of the Flash." Tala said, stepping closer to Leonard. "You could've been fun, and gotten away with a lot if you hadn't taken my friend. Don't touch my family." Tala whispered looking him in the eyes. He didn't lose his smile, instead leaning forward, closing the gap between them.

The two officers holding onto him stared in confusion as Leonard kissed the woman in the blue. They shook their heads and pulled him away.

"Stay chilly, Little Killer." Leonard said as the police dragged him away. Tala grinned under her hood.

"I do have that effect on people I suppose. I still prefer someone else though." Tala said to Joe as she turned to look at Cisco, who was shaking hands with the Captain.

"You were enjoying that." Joe said, disbelief in his voice.

"I'm not a good person Joe. Had things worked out differently, I might have been fighting against Oliver and helping my father with his Undertaking. I wanted to stay with the league. I have a twisted and warped sense of fun and excitement. Only recently have I started letting my humanity define me." Tala said, her voice distorter making her sound nearly angelic. "I think, had I not met Cisco, I would be one of the Metahumans you all hunt to put in the pipeline."

"Maybe you should give yourself some more credit. You were wrong about Doctor Wells, I think you're wrong about yourself too." Joe said, clapping her on the shoulder. Tala turned to find Cisco, feeling weird about being in her armor surrounded by this many cops.

"Let's get these to the lab so we can destroy them." Cisco said, taking the two guns off Joe's desk.

"Definitely. Then Pizza. I'm starving. Being a kidnap victim doesn't feed well."

"Hey, Cisco, I'm meeting a friend for lunch, do you wanna come?" Tala asked, pulling her jacket on. Cait and Cisco looked up at her.

"I think I'll stay here with Caitlin and Doctor Wells. I'm thinking about some new upgrades for your suits." Cisco said.

"Maybe look at tossing some of that extra thermal threading in them. For when I'm shivering while trying to fight." Tala grinned and pulled her helmet on, leaving Star Labs. She kicked her bike to life and started driving, not heading into town like she told Cisco, but out. After twenty minutes, she pulled her armor on, smiling as her quiver attached itself to her calf. Five minutes later, another woman on a bike joined her on the road. They nodded to each other and sped up.

Tala sped to pull around the prison transfer truck, pulling out her bow. She notched an explosive arrow and aimed at the driver. He and his partner died, and the truck stuttered to a halt. Tala turned and went to the back of the truck, pulling off her helmet while still out of sight of the other woman and pulling on her mask and hood. The other woman quickly dispatched the two cop cars in front of the truck, killing the four cops before pulling off her helmet.

Tala fired another explosive arrow at the doors, blasting them open to reveal Mick and Leonard.

"Hey Sis." Leonard said, looking at the brunette.

"Nice." Mick said.

"What, no thank you for me?" Tala huffed, leaning against the truck. Leonard and Mick jumped out. Leonard turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What are you doing here? I was only expecting my sister." Leonard said.

"You're fun. Like I'm going to let the one enemy I enjoy fighting go to prison? I knew you didn't want to kill us when I saw the small charge you had set for Caitlin." Tala grinned toothily at them. "Besides, you knew I'd survive that blast. And that kiss, well, what was I supposed to think?"

Leonard stretched as his sister undid the cuffs. Tala pulled an evidence bag out of her saddlebag on her bike, tossing it to Snart.

"I told you, you should join my crew."

"I'm confused." Mick said, looking at Tala.

"Not surprised. But don't worry Mick. I'm just springing you. Even the good guys need to keep up their body count." Tala laughed as she shrunk her bow, placing it back on her belt. Leonard walked over to her.

"Come with us. We could use someone of your skill set." He looked at her. Tala leaned over and kissed him, pushing him against the truck.

"Sorry Cold. I've got someone waiting for me, he keeps me right." Tala said, walking toward her bike. "Call me next time you're in town though. If things don't work out between me and Cisco, maybe you'll gain an assassin on your crew."

Tala kicked her bike to life, and sped off, heading back to town. She pushed her armor away and laughed to herself, biting her lip. _Playing both sides, I'll always get what I want. And what I want is loyalty._ Tala thought to herself as she sped away, aiming for Star Labs.

Lisa looked at her brother, who was staring after the girl in blue.

"Who was she?" Lisa asked, staring at him. "Did you pull a job with her? Lenny, who is she?"

"A what if. Let's go. Cops might've gotten a call out." Leonard said, smiling before turning to open the evidence bag Tala handed him. It had his coat and goggles. He smiled, pulling them both on.

Cisco pulled Tala into his shower that night, letting the steam and hot water wrap around them both. She let him press her against the wall and start kissing her.

"You're feeling feisty this evening." She said, smiling at him, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"I almost lost you. I am not losing you. Ever." Cisco kissed her, not noticing Tala's look of mild surprise. Tala kissed him back, spinning to pin him to the tile wall of the shower.

"Francisco Ramon you will never get rid of me," Tala said, taking control of the kiss.


	14. 114 The Sound and The Fury

Tala sat in Caitlin's office off of the cortex in front of two monitors, looking at a few other CEO's.

"I want to know what is going on in that city! Miss Merlyn, perhaps you don't understand the severity of what this means for our stock prices, and therefore our companies. Your age puts you at a disadvantage, so it is forgivable." Tala cut him off.

"Look. I live in Central City. I was there when the Flash appeared. He isn't a threat or a marketable thing, and if he was, he is a hero, and therefore any proceeds would go to charity or CCPD, rather than profiteering. I have met him, and am close friends with his personal author," Tala groaned in frustration, pleading with her eyes for Cisco to come save her. She was missing the car chase. "He will not affect anyone's stock portfolio's or business dealings. Now, it is late here in Central City. Ray, it's great to see you again, please extend my hellos to our friends in Starling City. Rachel, Osgood, it is always a pleasure working with you. As for the rest of you, any questions may be sent to my email or forwarded on to my personal assistant, Kyle James. Good evening."

Tala turned off the conference and groaned, pulling her fingers through her hair. She stood and walked over to where Caitlin and Cisco were sitting with Harrison, leading Barry through rounding up the crooks of the week. She grinned as Barry sped into the cortex.

"I'm impressed," Tala cheered, smiling at her friends. She reached over and offered Eobard a fist bump and a wink. He smiled at her, reaching to tap his fist to hers.

"Yo, we need a picture," Cisco said, pulling out his phone. Harrison looked at Tala, questioning Cisco's sanity. She shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure rule number one of having a secret identity is not taking pictures in your super suit without a mask on." Barry said, trying to pop Cisco's bubble.

"Oh come on!" Cisco said, looking at Tala. She tried to ignore his pout but caved, pulling her armor and mask on, but leaving the hood down. "Please? This is just for us. Just to document all this."

"I'm game. But only because Cisco asked. I'll put it in a frame in my house. No one comes over that doesn't already know anyway." Tala smiled at Cisco.

"Oh, who knows, maybe in the future people will want to know how this all happened," Harrison said, looking at Tala. She grinned, knowing he already knew about this picture.

"Alright, but if we want the future to know the whole story, we all have to be in it." Barry said, fist bumping Cisco. Tala moved to perch on the arm of Harrison's wheelchair, leaving her foot down so she didn't tip them.

"First let me put on some makeup!" Caitlin tried to protest, but Cisco grabbed her and directed her over to stand flanking Harrison and Tala.

"The future does not care about your makeup. Tala, are you going to wear your mask or take it off?" Cisco said, reaching to pull it off her face. Tala let him, rubbing her cheekbones. He put it in his pocket and stood behind her, pulling her back to lean against his chest, resting his hand on Harrison's shoulder.

"Okay, big smiles!" Barry said. Tala laughed, smiling for the camera

"One, two, three!" Barry snapped the picture and sped over to be in it, before racing back and catching the phone. "Ha!"

"Does that count as a selfie?" Caitlin asked.

"Absolutely." Barry said handing the phone back to Cisco.

"Sick! Damn, I look good." Cisco said. Tala peeked over his shoulder.

"I think you always look good. But maybe I'm biased?" Tala asked, pushing him against the wall to kiss him. She felt him smile into the kiss as he placed his hands on her hips.

 _Would you join me for a drink tonight? I think there are some things we need to discuss. - E_

Tala raised an eyebrow at the message, understanding who it was from, but wondering what the hell he wanted to discuss.

 _Sure, send me the address_

She responded, shaking her head as she put her dinner plate in the dishwasher. She walked back into the living room, where the credits were still rolling.

"Hey, I've got an errand to run. It's League business, Nyssa and Ra's have called me. Probably to discuss... my brother." Tala paused, letting the pain run through her. "I should be back within a few hours, so you don't have to wait up for me."

"Will you be okay?" Cisco asked as he took her hand, concerned.

"Yeah, it'll be basic stuff. Since he's gone, Nyssa will probably want to check on my mental health and Ra's likes to check in every once in awhile, make sure I'm still alive. If I think I won't be back until morning, I'll text you, alright? Bye, Koneko."

"Later, Wolfie." Tala grinned as she left, pulling her leather jacket on. She kicked her bike to life, letting the engine roar in the driveway as she pushed her powers around her, changing her outfit to something she felt more appropriate for her minor jaunt to the dark side. She snorted at herself.

"You're pretentious, Tala." She shook her head and raced out of the driveway, heading for Harrison's house. She got there before he did, so she let herself in and lounged on the couch. She felt Eobard's energy before she saw him.

"These are some fancy digs you've got here, Eobard," Tala said as he stood from his chair. "And I thought I was pretentious. This place is bigger than my ego."

Eobard scoffed, taking his glasses off and rubbing his face as he walked to his living room, finding the assassin already drinking some of his bourbon.

"I'm glad you came. Today jogged a memory of mine, and it's worrisome," He said, pouring himself a glass. He took a sip before looking at her. Tala stood and walked over to join the speedster.

"The picture. You looked at me when you said that the future might want to know how it all happened. I wasn't in that picture in the future. Was I?" Tala asked, leaning against the wall.

"No. You definitely were not. I haven't seen any changes, so far, but I am concerned," Eobard said.

"I wouldn't be. I own the only copy of that picture, and I don't plan on showing it to anyone except the team. We can take another with me not in it and make that the one we give to historians." They both paused as Eobard's phone started ringing. Tala motioned for him to put it on speaker, in case it was one of the team.

"Harrison Wells," He answered, unconcerned. Tala glanced around as the music playing stopped. She raised her eyebrows, glancing around, wondering if she should summon her armor. "Hello?"

"We both know what you did," The voice came through. Tala looked at the phone, trying to place the voice. Eobard tapped Tala's hand, pointing to a corner of the wall that held a safe. She nodded before crossing the room silently, opening it and passing the gun to him. Tala concentrated and summoned her bow and quiver, leaving the rest of her armor at Star Labs. The voice came through the PA system next. "It's time to pay the piper."

Tala aimed an arrow upward, trying to locate the voice, but not finding any vibrational energy. Glass above them started shattering, as if hit with a sonic blast. Eobard grabbed Tala and sped her out of the way. They stood under solid roofing, panting slightly from the adrenaline surge. Tala gasped as Eobard dove, pulling her to the ground and covering her as another sonic blast took out the glass pane next to them. She looked up at him in surprise. Eobard pulled himself up on his elbows, laying less of his weight on her as he looked around for another threat.

"What in the name of Allah did you do to piss Hartley off so badly?" Tala asked, finally placing the name. Eobard looked down at her in surprise.

"You know Hartley Rathaway?" He asked, kneeling before standing.

"We went to middle school together, he was my best, my only friend. I know he suspected that the accelerator was tampered with, but I know that it was. Did he go to you with his suspicions? Of course he did, he had idolized you since he was ten. You fired him," Tala deducted as Eobard held out his hand to help the assassin to her feet.

"You're smart. He came to me with proof that the accelerator would explode. I fired him and blackmailed him to silence," Eobard explained, pulling a piece of glass from Tala's hair.

"He doesn't like keeping quiet. I wonder if the accelerator affected him," Tala mused. "I should go, I can't be found here, I told Cisco I was meeting Ra's and Nyssa. Don't get dead, Eobard."

Tala finished her glass of bourbon before running out to kick her bike to life. She was halfway back to her house when she remembered she changed clothes. She surrounded herself in her powers, letting them change her into sweatpants and sneakers. She parked and walked in the house, noticing that the lights were out.

"Cisco must be in bed," Tala said to herself, taking her shoes off at the door, and hanging her jacket in the hall closet. She took the stairs two at a time, moving quickly but silently to her room, pulling her clothes off as she went. "You're cute, Koneko."

Cisco smiled, breaking the appearance of sleeping, opening his eyes to look at Tala. She grinned at him.

"One day, I'm going to figure out what you're calling me," Cisco said, standing and pulling Tala onto the bed.

"But not tonight," She leaned over and captured his lips in a kiss, taking his mind off her Japanese nickname.

Tala woke early in the morning before Cisco did. She checked her phone and found a message from Barry being the cause for her rising. It was in the group chat titled 'Team Flash,' saying that CCPD was called to Doctor Wells' house. She pretended to be surprised when she leaned over to wake up Cisco.

"Cisco, wake up, Francisco!" Tala shouted, shaking his shoulder. Cisco sat up, holding a knife to Tala's throat. "Well, that's different. Maybe we shouldn't sleep with knives."

Cisco groaned his agreement and stretched, dropping the burgundy blade on his nightstand.

"Cisco, Harrison's been attacked, I'm going over now, grab Caitlin and meet us there." Tala said, pulling her powers around her, dressing her for the day. "I really like these powers," Tala mused as she ran out to the kitchen to pour herself coffee before kicking her bike to life.

Cisco sat on the bed, trying to process what she'd said. He glanced at his phone, where he read Barry's message. Then everything sank in for him and he called Caitlin.

Tala met Barry and Joe at the front door to Harrison's house, asking them what they already knew. The doors opened before either cop could answer.

"Come in," Harrison said, waving them inside. Tala smiled at him and pretended to check him over, subtly raising an eyebrow in an unasked question. He shook his head. Tala nodded.

"Look, Joe, I apologize for all this. It just really feels like a case of so much for so little. The police should not have been called. I got a prank call before all of this happened..."

"This feels like more than a prank, Doctor," Joe interrupted. Tala followed behind Harrison, pretending to be worried.

"Well, there are those who feel I did not suffer enough for the particle accelerator explosion last year, and some of them act on it," Harrison excused away.

"Harrison, I'm going to get you a hotel reservation, I have long standing business arrangements with one near Star Labs, I'll see what I can do," Tala said, walking away to place the call. When she came back, Caitlin and Cisco were running in from outside.

"Doctor Wells! Doctor Wells, are you okay?" Caitlin asked, looking anxious.

"Doctor Snow, I'm fine. A little chilly, but otherwise fine. Hello Cisco. I'm assuming Tala told you what happened?" Harrison asked.

"Yeah, Barry's message woke her up, she sent me to get Caitlin," Cisco said, looking around in awe.

"Make yourselves at home as best you can, Tala, thank you for the hotel reservation," Harrison said, wheeling himself to a different area where another cop was nosing around.

"There's no point of impact," Barry said as Harrison and Tala went over to see him. Tala was making sure to touch the walls a few places she knew she had last night, just to ensure no one questioned it if they found her fingerprints. "No rock, or bat, or any solid object went through these windows. It's as if they shattered themselves."

"This wasn't some teenage prank." Tala stated, resting her hand on Harrison's shoulder.

"But you don't want our help." Barry said, confused. He stood up, looking down on Harrison. "Why?"

"Because I already know who did this. Hartley Rathaway." Harrison said, looking up, not at Barry, but at Tala. She nodded.

"Who is Hartley Rathaway?" Barry asked, looking at Tala.

"He is the prodigal son. And he has returned." Tala said, her eyes wandering over to follow Cisco around. He was not going to be happy about this. Nor was he going to be thrilled that her and Hartley were close. "I'll meet you back at Star Labs. I need to run down a lead." Tala nodded to Harrison before turning and leaving, pulling her helmet on as she passed the police.

"So who is Hartley Rathaway?" Joe asked, looking at Tala and Harrison. Cisco and Caitlin had frowns on their faces as they glared at the picture Tala had on a monitor.

"Hartley Rathaway possesses one of the finest scientific minds I've ever encountered." Harrison said, looking at Tala, before turning to face the monitor.

"Any ties to Rathaway Industries?" Joe asked, making Tala scowl.

"Only son of Rachel and Osgood. They disavowed him, disowned him, completely removed all support from him ten years ago when he came out as gay." Tala stepped forward, pulling up the news article on the fight. "Since then, they have me listed to take over their company. And Rachel keeps hoping I'll marry Hart. So not happening."

"You know Hartley?" Cisco and Caitlin asked, turning to face her in shock.

"We went to Middle School together. He was in eighth grade, I was in sixth. We fell together as the only billionaires in the district. He taught me Japanese." Tala said, smiling at the memory.

"He's your best friend from middle school? The one you keep talking about, the reason you wear blue?" Cisco rambled, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Yep. That's Hart. I gave him my trust fund after he was disowned. We keep in touch." Tala said, rolling her eyes. "That's why I was surprised to hear about this being his doing. He never told me he was in town."

"You guys have never even mentioned his name." Barry said, looking around at them.

"That's because Hartley had a challenging personality." Caitlin said, shooting an apologetic look.

"You're not wrong." She muttered, grinning.

"What she means is he was mostly a jerk, but every once in awhile," Cisco paused, and Tala thought Cisco was about to compliment Hart. "he could be a dick."

Joe started laughing and Tala snorted, nearly falling over at Cisco's description of him.

"Hartley, like many of us outliers, myself included, had difficulty relating to our peers. I got better, managing to make my arrogance seem cute. He did not share that ability." Tala explained, forcing herself to stop laughing at Cisco's apt description.

"Yes, but he was always Doctor Wells' favorite." Caitlin said, looking at the scientist.

"The chosen one." Cisco scoffed. "He referred to himself like that." Cisco said at Harrison's offended look.

"So if you two were close, why would he target you?" Barry said and Tala froze. If Harrison lied, Hartley could expose him and he'd lose the trust of the team. If he told the truth, he'd lose the trust of the team.

"Hartley left Star Labs about a year ago, after we had a... a disagreement." Harrison said, skirting the truth.

"About what?" Joe asked, studying Harrison.

"Look, don't worry. We'll stop him." Barry said, causing Tala to relax. She leaned against Cisco and nudged him, silently asking him if he was okay. He shook his head. "I won't let him hurt you. Any of you."

"I'm not worried about myself." Tala said, looking directly at Cisco.

"Let's get back to my lab." Barry said to Joe, turning to leave. Joe nodded to Tala, and sent Harrison a searching look before following Barry.

"I could've gone my whole life without seeing that jerk again." Cisco complained. Tala took his hand and led him to her gym, planning to help him work off some steam.

Tala ducked under the punch Cisco threw, aiming one for his chest, grinning when he caught it. Cisco used his grip in her wrist to spin her around, pulling that arm behind her back, pinning it between them. Tala tossed her free arm around his neck and flipped Cisco over her, holding him in place with her foot on his neck.

"You're getting better. You nearly had me. Sort of." Tala laughed, reaching down to pull him up against her, kissing his cheek.

"You've had more time to get better." Cisco said, using his teeth to undo the strap on his glove. "You're always going to beat me. Unless you hold back."

Tala smiled at him, pushing her armor off of her, watching as it materialized around the mannequin in the corner.

"You need to work on your speed Koneko. You stick to one speed, if you mix it up you can catch your opponent off guard." Tala tossed the engineer a bottle of water. "Ollie always drilled it into us to never be predictable."

Cisco thought about that, nodding while looking at the bottle he caught. He grinned at it before spraying Tala and charging, throwing a punch which Tala caught blindly. She pulled her suit on as she threw him backwards, giving her a second to recover. Cisco dropped to sweep her legs out from under her, but Tala jumped forward, catching Cisco by the shoulders and flipping them both. Tala rolled and stood, a manic look in her eyes as she threw a punch at Cisco as he tried to recover. It caught him in the shoulder, spinning him in a half circle. Tala grabbed the back of his shirt and hauled him to his feet, throwing him to the wall. She pinned him, holding his hands above his head as she kissed him.

"Better. And definitely more fun for me." Tala smirked, kissing Cisco again.

"Because you get to kiss me and kick my ass?" Cisco asked, smiling.

"No, because I really like having you under me." Tala stepped away, and reached for her mask. "I'm going to stake out Rathaway Industries. Knowing him, now that he's a super villain, Hartley is going to attack there. I know I would." Tala grabbed a few more of her daggers, strapping them to her suit with a grim look.

"Be careful. Please, comms on," Cisco said, stepping behind her to wrap a choker around her neck. "I modified it a little bit. Be safe, Tala." Cisco pressed a kiss to her spine, watching as she walked away.

Tala left through the garage, taking her bike to the Rathaway Industries building. She glanced at her building across the street as she pulled herself on top of a sheltered bus stop, pulling her powers around her to provide additional shade.

"Tala? How's it going?" Cisco's voice asked in her ear.

"I'm sitting on a bus stop, I think I should've brought a crossword," Tala listened to Cisco as he laughed.

"Are you sure he'll show?" Cait's voice came through. Tala watched as a hooded figure pointed to the top of the building. The glass where he was pointing shattered with a sonic blast.

"Yep. He's here. Hart's ego is bigger than mine," Tala rolled her eyes as she stood, letting her powers keep her shrouded. She stepped off the roof of the shelter as if it were an escalator, landing on the ground with a slight bend to her knees. She flicked out her bow staffs as she pushed her powers away from her, letting everyone see her. Barry sped up, skidding to a halt next to her.

"Flash." She greeted, not bothering to hide the smile on her face.

"Spellcaster." He returned, speeding over to knock Hartley on the ground. "It's over Rathaway."

"You know my name!" Hart said, looking at Barry surprised. Tala laughed, taking a few steps forward, looking down at her friend. "I know some names too. Caitlin Snow. Cisco Ramon. Harrison Wells. I can hear their radio waves emanating from your suit. Hers too. About nineteen hundred megahertz? Is that them on the other end, listening? Are they gonna hear you die?"

"No." Tala said, twirling her staves and stepping forward. "They're gonna hear you get your ass kicked."

Tala stood next to Barry, a smirk on her face. She'd seen the power Hart's gloves had, but her powers protected her.

"Okay." Hart said, blasting Barry back. Tala stepped forward swinging at him, laughing to herself as Hartley sidestepped her swing. Barry stood and sped around, grabbing the surrounding police force's nightsticks and throwing them at Hartley as Tala kicked him forward. Barry ran forward and grabbed Hartley's gloves, jerking them off his hands before he could fire then grabbed him by his collar.

"Looks like you're not as smart as everyone says," Barry gloated. Tala walked around and grabbed the gloves off the ground.

"Smart enough to have figured out who Harrison Wells really is!" Hart gloated, making Tala's blood run cold. If he saw the two of them last night, if Hartley knew Harrison was really Eobard, it could spell bad things, for her relationship with Cisco and her position on the team. "You see, I know his secret."

"Flash! Toss his ass in the Pipeline. I'll meet you there," Tala said, walking over to her bike. She kicked it to life as Barry sped off. Tala grinned and raced back to Star Labs.

"Told you he'd be there, Koneko. Like I said, Hartley Rathaway has an ego bigger than mine," Tala said as she walked into the building. Barry had taken Hart the long way so she could be there when he walked in. She turned as the elevator opened, grinning lopsidedly as Barry brought in a handcuffed Hartley.

"Being scooped up by a man in head-to-toe leather is a longtime fantasy of mine. So thanks," Hart said to Barry. Tala started laughing at Barry's discomfort. Caitlin and Cisco walked forward. Caitlin looked disappointed, while Cisco looked Tala over for injuries.

"I'm fine Koneko. Hartley can't hurt me," Tala said, chuckling before pressing a kiss to her engineer's temple.

"Is she the reason Tala Merlyn keeps telling me that you and her aren't dating? I didn't know you had a fetish for leather and masks, Ciscito," Hartley said, a smug look on his face. "I have to say, you've lasted a lot longer than I would've thought."

"My Chisana Koneko is just better than you, Hartley," Tala said, running a gloved hand through Cisco's hair.

"And you didn't last ten seconds against the Flash," Cisco said, glaring at Hartley.

"I was thinking of calling myself the Pied Piper." Hartley said.

"Hey, I assign the nicknames around here!" Cisco protested, making Tala smile at him. "Although that one's not bad."

"Caitlin. Never did get that wedding invite," Hartley said. Tala grabbed him by the back of his collar and shoved him in front of her.

"You shut the hell up!" Barry growled, glaring at him.

"Stay in front of us," Cisco said, helping guide him to the pipeline. Tala held him in place while Cisco summoned a cell. They shoved him in roughly, before closing it. Cisco had the system run a full biometric scan, making sure he didn't have any weapons he could use to escape.

"The system is detecting foreign metallic objects in your ears, take them out," Cisco demanded. Tala winced under her hood, knowing Hartley couldn't.

"I can't. I suffered a head trauma when Star Labs exploded. My hearing was severely damaged. Without these, I'm in pain you can't imagine."

"He's right Cisco, I paid his medical expenses," Tala whispered in Cisco's ear.

"We all lost something that night," Hartley said, looking past Tala at Caitlin. "Hmm. Very clever, repurposing the antiproton cavities into confinement cells. Wells' idea, I'm sure."

"Actually, my koibito designed it. He is so amazing," Tala said, wrapping herself around Cisco, smiling when he put his hand around her waist.

"Ciscito, still begging for his master's approval." Hartley said in Spanish, making Tala growl slightly.

"If you're so smart, why are you in a cage?" Cisco responded in the same language.

"Hartley," Caitlin snapped. "Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

Hartley turned to face Caitlin, switching into French, annoying Tala because she didn't speak that one.

"Enough, Hartley!" Tala growled, stepping in front of her friends. She felt Harrison's energy and heard him echo her. She stepped backwards, letting Cisco's hand on her waist guide her.

"Give us a minute. You, stay," Harrison said, tapping Tala. Eobard didn't like Tala's Meta nickname, and wouldn't give away her identity without her permission. Tala squeezed Cisco's hand and smiled gently at Caitlin as they left.

"See you soon, Cisco!" Hartley shouted, falling back into English.

"Doubt it!" Cisco shouted back, making Tala grin. Hartley fell into Latin, as he was prone to do around Harrison - or so Tala was told.

"Your silence speaks volumes," He said, glaring at Harrison. Tala moved to stand behind him.

"No man is more deaf than he who will not hear." Harrison said. He switched back to English, likely for the sake of Barry who was no doubt listening in upstairs. "How did you know we were working with the Flash?"

"Hartley is smart, I swear if he says hexagonal algorithm, I'll buy Cisco a bike," Tala muttered to herself, knowing they could both hear her. Hartley turned his smug look to Tala.

"Guess your pet is getting his own bike. I did use a hexagonal algorithm. Tracking all his sightings, extrapolating a theoretical exit trajectory. In other words, every time he ran from the scene of a crime, he ran in this general direction."

"You are brilliant," Harrison said, cutting Tala off before she could start. "Any anguish you have been through because of me, was never my intent."

"Not bad. As far as heartfelt apologies go," Hartley said before looking up at the camera in his cell. "Except that wasn't for my benefit. That was for you, Flash. It feels good to have the great Harrison Wells behind you, doesn't it? But one day, this man will turn on you, in a flash. And even you won't see it coming. My only hope is that he leaves you in better shape than he left me. If you're lucky, you'll only be dead. Because every day, I have to live with the agonizing piercing screaming in my ears."

Tala stepped out of the way as Harrison turned around to leave. She intended to stay and speak with Hartley, maybe reveal her identity.

"I almost forgot. I told your pets I know your deep dark secret, Harrison," Harrison stopped, and Tala felt his energy stutter briefly. "Have fun letting him in on that one." Tala growled and shut the vault door, removing her powers from her left hand long enough for it to scan her palm. She followed Harrison up to the cortex, pulling down her hood and taking off her mask.

"Does he know the yellow secret, or is he referring to the explosion?" Tala asked quietly in Latin.

"I believe he is just referring to the explosion. He did warn you not to come, didn't he?" Eobard asked, looking up at her. Tala nodded, shaking herself slightly before entering the cortex with Harrison just behind her. She walked over to Cisco and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, trying to offer some comfort to him.

"I assume you were all listening? Hartley was telling the truth. I have not been honest with you," Harrison made eye contact with Tala and minutely shook his head. "With any of you. The accelerator, Hartley warned me that there was indeed a chance that the accelerator could explode."

Tala felt Cisco tense, and Barry's vibrational energy stopped for a moment. She forced herself to maintain a neutral expression.

"His data did not show one hundred percent certainty, just that there was a risk. But it was a real risk, and yet I made the decision, that the reward... That everything we could learn, that everything we could achieve, that all of that... Simply outweighed that risk."

Tala stood straight, her body tense. She took a deep breath, knowing that how she reacted here would change things with her friends. If she chose to defend Harrison, it would create a rift between her and Cisco. If she attacked him, Eobard would hopefully understand that she was acting - or would at least let her explain. Tala let out a slow breath.

"Hartley warned me not to come to Central City. He knew I was coming here, and told me not to," Tala kept her voice low as she moved to stand in front of her friends. "I came here anyway. You nearly killed me, for what, for glory?"

"The next time you choose to put our lives, and the lives of the people we love, at risk... we'll expect a heads up," Caitlin said, standing behind Tala. She left the cortex, and Cisco and Tala followed her.

Caitlin led them to Tala's gym, where she wrapped the bioengineer into a hug.

"Did you know?" Caitlin asked. "About Hartley's data?"

"No. I only got a vague text warning me to stay away from Star Labs. I thought he was mad because Harrison fired him," Tala explained, sinking to the floor against the wall. "I never guessed anything like that explosion would happen. I prepared for it, because I'm an assassin, that's what I do. When the accelerator went critical, I cursed his name, guessing that's what he meant."

"This isn't your fault. Doctor Wells is to blame," Cisco said, kneeling down next to her. He ran his thumb across her cheek, making her look at him. "He should've told us. Especially when the machine went critical."

Tala smiled softly, reaching over to push Cisco's hair behind his ear. Caitlin looked at them both, smiling.

"Come on. Hurt feelings aside, we have work to do," Tala huffed and stood, following Caitlin back to her office.

Cisco was working on Hartley's gauntlets, trying to figure out how they worked. Tala watched and occasionally offered suggestions, eating from a Chinese takeout box.

"Where's Doctor Wells?" Asked Caitlin as she entered the room. Tala looked up and around, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm not sure," Cisco sighed. "Barry was right. Hartley was using sonic resonance. The intensity regulator's measuring decibels. But you wanna know what's weird?"

"Hart had it set on the lowest setting." Tala said. She scrunched up her face in confusion, trying to puzzle out what her old friend was up to.

"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked.

"He could've easily taken out his father's building, and mine, in one blast with these things." Tala said, pointing at the gloves with her chopsticks.

"So why not do that and leave? I mean, why stick around and run the risk of getting caught?" Tala felt it hit her like a sledgehammer and she shot out of her seat.

"Because he wanted to get caught," Tala ran to the security feed, finding his cell empty. She turned on the PA system. "Harrison, Hartley's out!" Cisco started running down the hall, leaving Tala there with Caitlin.

Tala heard an explosion from the pipeline. She ran, hoping to grab Hartley before he escaped and hurt Cisco. She skid around the corner, and saw Hartley standing over Cisco, who wasn't moving and had blood on his face.

Tala froze, not realizing her mask wasn't on, not knowing her hood was down. She only saw Cisco laying on the floor, as she sank to her knees. She pushed the rubble out of her way and cradled his head in her lap, tears rapidly blurring her vision. She pushed his hair out of his face and felt gently for a pulse, gasping when she found it. Tala looked up, but Hartley was gone. She heard Caitlin come on over the PA.

"Cisco, Tala, you there?"

"Cait! Cisco's hurt!" She shouted, waiting for a response, but Tala didn't get one. She stood and pulled Cisco into her arms, leaning his head against her shoulder. She walked slowly, making sure not to jostle him as she carried him up to Caitlin's office. She got there and looked at Cait. "Help him."

Barry guided Tala over to the bed and helped her lay Cisco on it before Caitlin pushed him out of the way. Tala felt her knees buckle and she fell, only Barry's super speed saw her sit in a chair rather than on the floor as she took Cisco's hand. Tala stared blankly ahead until she felt Cisco stir. Barry saw Tala move and leaned over Cisco.

"Hey. Welcome back, Mister Ramon," Barry said. Cisco tried to sit up and grabbed his head in pain, causing Tala to shoot to her feet and support him.

"Oh, oh man. Caitlin?" He asked, looking around and not seeing her.

"She's okay, Koneko. You're okay, are you okay?" Tala rambled, feeling her heart in her throat. "I thought you died, seeing you laying there." Tala shuddered and felt tears building in her eyes. Caitlin walked over to them and stopped Cisco from getting out of bed.

"You need to rest, you have a concussion. You're lucky," Cait said, making Tala and Cisco relax slightly. Cisco turned to Barry.

"Please tell me you got him?" Barry shook his head.

"Tala was with you, and by the time I got here, Hartley was gone. Tala wasn't in a good place with you injured. She didn't even notice him walk past her," Barry said, causing Tala to flush. She smiled weakly at Cisco, who squeezed her hand to let her know he didn't blame her.

"I'd probably have done the same thing," Cisco said.

"I guess the attack on his family's company was a fake out so we'd catch him," Barry said, annoyed.

"And give him direct access to Star Labs." Caitlin said. Tala hopped up on Cisco's bed and sat herself behind him, letting him rest his head on her lap. She started absently running her fingers through his hair.

"But why?" Barry asked, looking to Tala for answers. She shrugged, not knowing what he'd need from them that he couldn't get from the Merlyn building, which he had access to.

"I should've known he was up to something," Cisco said, looking up at Tala. She shook her head at him.

"No, Koneko. I should've. I've known him for about sixteen years," Tala said, tracing hic cheek with her finger. "And now he knows who I am. I didn't have my hood or mask on when I found you. He was standing over you, I thought you were dead..." Tala trailed off, trying to force the tears out of her eyes. Cisco reached up and caressed her cheek, trying to calm her down.

"Hey, this is on me too. I should've stayed here," Barry said, placing a hand on Tala's shoulder.

"This is no one's fault but mine," Harrison said, wheeling into the room. "I earned the blame. I'm not interested in sharing it. Hartley doesn't think I've paid for my crimes. He's right. He won't stop till I do."

"So what are you going to do?" Tala asked as Harrison turned around.

"Where're you going?" Barry asked at the same time.

"To earn back your trust," He said, causing Tala to raise her eyebrows. He left. Tala turned her attention back to Cisco, no longer caring about what the speedster did.

"Are you okay?" Cisco asked Tala.

"I might kill Hartley. I'm itching to put an arrow in his eye for hurting you. But I don't want to leave you long enough to do it," Tala said, frowning.

"Don't kill him. Just maim him. But you need to let me get at least one punch in. I owe him that much." Cisco said, glaring at the wall. Tala helped him sit up fully, smiling at him. She leaned over and kissed him gently.

"I guess it's my turn to take care of you." Tala laughed.

"I have my knife at your throat in the morning, and now I'm the injured one. That's different." Cisco said, pulling out his knife, looking at the blade. He rolled his eyes before putting it back in his wrist holster.

"Why doesn't Hartley like you?" Tala asked.

"When I first started, I was wearing a Star Wars shirt, under a suit jacket. Hartley didn't like that. Or he didn't like that Doctor Wells complimented me. Later it became clear that while I could easily get along with others, specifically Caitlin and Ronnie, he couldn't." Cisco sighed, tucking his hair behind his ears. "Looking at it objectively, he was jealous. But that doesn't make him any less of a dick. Why did you two get along so well? How?"

"I was lonely. I just moved to the district, because my Nanny didn't want me in any place longer than a year." Tala rolled her eyes. "The school here in Central City did this weird thing where it paired sixth graders with eighth graders. They decided to pair the two billionaire heirs together and we clung to each other like magnets. We understood the pressure of being a perfect heir. And we made a pact, since he was gay, and I was starting to notice women more so than men, we decided that in the future, we would marry to satisfy our father's needs for an heir, and merge the companies. We knew it would've just been a sham, but it was a safety net."

Tala stretched out and took Cisco's hand, absently tracing patterns on his palm as she thought back to her middle school years.

"He came out and his parents lost it, kicking him out with only the clothes on his back. He came to me, using the cash in his wallet to find me. I set him up with my trust fund, just before I joined the Army. He helped me find myself when I was a lost little girl. I helped him survive on his own."

Tala watched as Harrison wheeled back in the cortex. She was still wearing her armor, determined that no more harm would come to Cisco. Especially not from Hartley.

"Has Hartley made contact yet?" Harrison asked. Tala placed her hand on Cisco's shoulder, annoyed that he was out and about when he should've been resting.

"What makes you so sure he will?" Caitlin questioned, turning to look at Harrison.

"Because he's Hartley. He always has to have the last word." Tala scoffed. "He's arrogant. He's also been completely cut off from my trust fund. If he so much as twitches near my money, we'll have him."

Cisco got up and started toward his office. Tala frowned and followed him.

"Cisco, you should be resting," Barry said, looking at them both.

"The answer to why Hartley fooled us into catching him is in here, and I'm gonna find it." Cisco said, holding up his tablet. Tala followed, intent on helping him. She felt Harrison's energy following them into the other lab.

"You have nothing to prove." Harrison said. Cisco rolled his eyes.

"Not true." Cisco said, as Harrison scoffed.

"Do you know why I hired you, Cisco?" Tala looked over, interested.

"You said you saw something in me. I know," Cisco said, not looking up from his search.

"What I saw was humanity. You and Hartley, Cisco, you're both brilliant. You both have mental... Sparks. But his brilliance subtracted from the experience of working here, whereas your brilliance, your heart... Your warmth, your humor, it just adds to it," Tala smiled at Harrison, agreeing with him. "There's no chosen one, Cisco. There's no second or third favorite, there never was. It's just us."

Tala pressed a gentle kiss to Cisco's temple, silently telling Harrison thank you. She frowned and looked up, just before the ceiling started shaking.

"What's that?" Caitlin asked, glancing around.

"Nice gambit, Harrison. But this isn't over," Hartley's voice came through the PA system. Tala glared at the ceiling. Hartley would not get away with harming Cisco.

"Hartley, what do you want? What do you want! I already gave my mea culpa today!" Harrison said, almost sounding like he was complaining to Tala's ears.

"The city already hated you. You don't think I noticed that press conference was a pathetic bishop's sacrifice?" Hartley asked, making Tala groan. She hated chess. "No, no, no. I've played with you too many times to let you get away with that. This is between you, me, the Flash, and Tala. Now that I know who you are. Working with Harrison Wells, have you sunk so low?"

Tala growled, sounding like her namesake, "You hurt Cisco. You'll pay for that one, Hart."

"You don't want to play for those kind of stakes with me, Hartley," Harrison said, glaring up at the ceiling. Cisco grabbed Tala's hand, trying to calm her down.

"Actually, I really do. What do you say? One last game of chess?" Tala looked at Harrison, murder in her eyes.

"You and I both know that the winner of the game is the one who makes the next to last mistake," Harrison nodded, looking at Tala. She had a feral grin on her face, planning on making Hartley's death painful. "And you clearly have a move in mind."

"You're right, and I'm already at the board. So why don't you move your precious scarlet Knight, and your Queen in blue," Tala and Barry nodded to each other. "While I take out a few pawns."

Barry suited up, and Tala took out her sword, making sure it was sharp enough to do serious damage. She put it back in its sheath and stretched, looking unconcerned except for the barest of smirks on her face, and another glance over at Cisco to assure herself of his wellbeing. The'eb Sagheer moved from her spot against the wall to wrap her arms around Cisco's shoulders, leaving small kisses along his spine.

"Koneko, do we know where he is?" The assassin asked the mechanical engineer.

"I can't track his signal," Cisco said. "He could be sending messages from anywhere."

"Cisco, scan for seismic activity," Harrison said, getting an idea. "If Hartley's using sonic blasts, the vibrations could cause tremors."

Tala looked at Harrison, a note of apprehension in her eyes. She gently touched the back of her neck, fiddling with the clasp of her new choker from Cisco. Tala looked at Cisco, and her resolve hardened. If she could survive an earthquake, she could survive anything, especially with Cisco to fight for. The'eb Sagheer moved to stand by the door, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. She pulled up her hood, and waited, clutching her bow.

"Look, over here. Quake activity, but no fault line," Cisco said, pulling up a geographic map.

"I think he's on Cleveland Dam," Caitlin said, looking at the map. Barry walked over to The'eb Sagheer.

"Barry, Tala, don't underestimate him, he's brilliant," Harrison said, stopping them before they left.

"Then it's a good thing I'll have you on comms," Barry said, pulling his cowl up. He picked up the assassin and sped away, running to Cleveland Dam. Barry and Tala saw the car fly off the bridge. Barry ran faster, pushing himself. He dropped Tala on the bridge before rescuing the woman from her car.

"You get the civilians. I'll get Hartley," Tala growled, pulling out an arrow. She started firing at him, growling in frustration when he proved adept at batting them away with his sonic blasts.

"Barry, you need to disarm him immediately. Do you hear me?" Harrison demanded, his voice coming through clearly on the comms. "He is a master of distraction. He is a master of hiding his true endgame."

Hartley pushed Tala aside, before throwing four cars into the air and over the edges. Barry ran to get the people out of them, while Tala ditched her bow in favor of her staves. She stalked toward Hartley, ignoring the blasts he was pushing toward her - blocking them with her powers. She swung toward his head, making him duck.

"Aha. Uh-oh." Cisco said, looking at his tablet.

"Aha what?" Harrison inquired.

"I figured out what Hartley stole. Why he let himself get caught."

"Which brings us to the uh-oh?" Caitlin asked, looking at Cisco worriedly.

"He has all the data on Barry's molecular scans." Cisco said, looking nervous.

"Why would he want that?" Caitlin asked, not understanding.

"So he can get Barry's frequency," Harrison said, before turning to the comms. "Barry, you need to get out of there immediately!"

"I paid your medical bills!" Tala yelled as she lunged forward, swiping at Hartley's chest. He jumped backwards, blasting her with his glove, successfully pushing her back. "I took you in when you weren't wanted! And how do you repay me?" Tala swung both staves down, cracking them on the backs of Hartley's sonic gloves. "You nearly killed the man I love!"

Barry sped around behind Hartley and ripped the gloves off his hands, disarming him. Back in Star Labs, Cisco stared at the data from Tala's suit in shock, mouthing the word love.

"It's over!" Barry shouted, standing next to Tala, looking down at Hartley.

"You lose, Hartley," Tala growled, glaring down at the man she used to call friend. She pushed the hurt she felt aside, disappointed in him.

"Amazing. He replaced me with you, a total moron," Tala felt her blood run cold, knowing that Hartley wouldn't be saying something like that unless he had a trick up his sleeve. "I got you with the same trick twice!"

Tala spun around to look behind her at the gloves, just as they activated, sending out a frequency that hurt Barry. Barry was shuddering, like glass about to explode from hitting the right pitch.

"I got the idea watching you and Harrison chit-chat. To use your suit's own speakers to kill you," Hartley gloated, while Tala watched Barry collapse to the ground in pain. Tala snarled, snapping and leaping at Hartley, tackling him to the ground. She punched him in the face, once, twice, three times before Hartley flipped them and pinned her down.

"You forget Tala, much as I enjoy men in leather, I like being on top!" Hartley backhanded her, splitting the skin above her eyebrow. She laughed, a hysterical, crazed laugh that put fear in Hartley's eyes. She jerked her knees upward, flipping Hartley over her head, knocking him into the barrier to prevent cars from falling over the edge. She stood and grabbed him, spinning him to press his back to her chest. Tala held him the way her father held her when he tried to kill her.

"Tala don't kill him!" Barry shouted, struggling to stand after satellite radio destroyed the gloves, thanks to Doctor Wells. "Don't do it. You won't forgive yourself."

"He nearly killed Cisco!" Tala's voice came out sounding like a hundred versions of her, her powers amplifying it in her anger and rage. Unknown to Tala, her eyes flashed blue, the same color as the tendrils that floated around her and Hartley. "He tried to kill you. I have lost too much to let him walk away!"

"Tala, don't kill him," Cisco's voice came through the comms gently. "I am fine. Caitlin is fine. Barry is still standing and will heal. Harrison is sitting with me and is fine. If you kill Hartley you turn down the road your father went down."

Hartley struggled against her grip making her squeeze tighter. Hartley stopped moving, gasping for breath.

"I don't like Hartley, you know that, but he shouldn't die. Bring him here and we'll throw his ass in the pipeline for good. Don't kill him, Tala, for me," Cisco pleaded. Tala let go of Hartley, watching dispassionately as he doubled over, gulping down air. The assassin hit him over the head with the half of her bowstaff in her right hand, watching him crumple to the ground.

Tala sat down heavily in her chair next to Cisco. Barry walked in, pulling on his jacket, having just changed out of his Flash suit.

"How do you feel?" Caitlin asked him.

"Fine. There's just a little ringing in my ears, but other than that, I'm good," Barry shouted.

"You're speaking very loudly," Caitlin laughed, patting Barry's arm. "How are you Tala?"

"Is 'I don't know' an acceptable answer? He used to be my best friend. And I just tried to kill him." Tala said, staring at her hands. She was an assassin, killing was something they did, but something about the way Cisco had talked her down made her feel different. She took a breath, pushing her armor off, letting her clothes wrap around her, before pulling the suit into her hands. "I think I need to hang it up for a while. I can't go out there and fight while I'm this conflicted."

"You're leaving the team?" Harrison asked, looking at her.

"No! No, I'm going to stay in the cortex. I'm going to just be another voice in Barry's ear. I don't want to be The'eb Sagheer for a while. After Ollie, and now Hartley... It's too much," Tala said, looking around, hoping they understood.

"Whatever makes you happy, Tala," Cisco said, leaning forward to place a kiss on her forehead. He stood, reaching out to take her hand and guide her to her feet. Tala pushed the blue suit back to its stand in her gym. "I think I'm going to take my doctor's advice and go lay down. Tala, will you drive?"

"What a great idea!" Caitlin said, smiling at Cisco and Tala.

"Man, I feel like I'm hangover times ten," Cisco said as the three of them left the cortex. Cisco was pulling Tala back, silently asking to stay a little bit longer.

"Cait, you go ahead, I need to grab my stuff from my gym. We'll see you in the morning? I can make pancakes!" Tala said, smiling.

"Sure guys, see you tomorrow." Caitlin waved and took the elevator. Tala let Cisco lead them to the pipeline, where Hartley was just coming too.

"Your evil hearing aids won't help you escape this time," Cisco said, walking up to Hartley's cell. "So I'd get comfy."

"You must be enjoying this, Cisco," Hartley said, studying Tala's mechanical engineer. Tala smiled at Cisco, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"I am. You're in a cell, and I have your best friend," Cisco said, smiling as Tala kissed his cheek.

"I can't imagine how you're going to feel when you open these doors and let me out of here," Hartley said.

"Sorry, I thought Flash was the one that went deaf, not me. I could have sworn you just said we were going to let you out. Did you hear that Cisco?" Tala asked, looking at Hartley in confusion.

"And very soon too," Hartley said.

"Sorry, I just tried to kill you on a bridge. Would've too had my Koneko not stopped me. Why would anyone let you out?" Tala asked, leaning against Cisco.

"Because I know where Ronnie Raymond is," Tala froze, feeling her smirk slide off her face. "I know what really happened to him that night. And I know how to save him."

Tala reached across Cisco and shut the vault door, watching the secondary door close when the first one didn't react.

"He can't. I have searched, read an eight hundred page technical paper on a topic I have less than zero understanding in, and interviewed the coauthor of it. I have hacked four different military and governmental databases and I've still found nothing to explain anything about why Ronnie is Firestorm, or why he doesn't recognize us."

Cisco started walking away, confusion easily read on his face. He turned to Tala before turning away, then turning back with a look of resignation on his face. Tala looked at him warily.

"No. Cisco, you can't seriously be thinking he knows something?" Tala protested. "He just tried to kill Barry after nearly killing you!"

"Tala, I'll be careful, and I'll make sure he gives me something solid before I let him out. I'll keep him in cuffs the entire time," Cisco said, grabbing her hands. Tala sighed, closing her eyes and hoping.

"Fine. But not tonight, not until after you heal. Let's go home, okay?" Tala begged.

Tala laid in bed, stroking Cisco's hair as he slept. She felt something different, something that scared her, when she held Hartley on that bridge. Her powers felt like they were flooding her, as if the bloodlust of the Lazarus pit had amplified itself. She nearly lost control and she couldn't afford to do that. If she lost control, she'd lose Cisco, and she couldn't bear the thought of that. Tala turned over as her phone went off, twice.

E: _I can't keep my speed, even with the Tachyons. We might need something else._

Tala sighed, wondering what had happened to cause Eobard to lose his speed. She would look into things, see what she could manage.

Joe: _I don't think Wells is being honest with us. Eddie and I are investigating him to see what we can find, out of sight of Barry and the rest. Can I count on your support?_

Me: _I'm in. I don't trust him. Let me know if you need anything at all._

Tala thought that things were getting interesting. Cisco, Barry, and Caitlin trusted Harrison. Joe and Eddie were investigating Harrison, and she was the only one who knew everything.

"Maybe Hart was right in calling me the queen. He thought he was playing chess against Harrison, but maybe I'm the chess master here." Cisco rolled over in his sleep, turning to face Tala. She smiled at him. "As long as you're my king. I love you Francisco Ramon."

Tala put her phone back on the night stand and laid down next to him, pulling Cisco into her arms. Maybe she would tell him how she felt when they woke up.


	15. 115 Crazy For You

"Dude, that was insane!" Cisco said as he started cleaning Barry's suit. Tala wiped some of the soot off the emblem, before smiling at Barry. "I mean, even I'm having a hard time getting mad at you for dirtying up my suit."

"Okay, dude, when are we going to consider it my suit?" Barry asked. "You call Tala's her suit."

"I'd be comfortable calling it our suit. And Tala's suit is Tala's suit because she brought her league armor and just let me modify it."

"Awh. At least it's not a baby with Caitlin this time." Tala said, remembering coming back to find a Danton Black clone in the cortex.

"I'm not having a baby with Cisco!" Caitlin protested, walking into the cortex. "Tonight was the fastest you've ever run."

"Yes, your training is paying off. That couple is alive tonight because of you." Harrison complimented.

"I can still get faster, I know I can."

"And I'm sure one day you will. But for today, I'd say you fulfilled your saved quota. Proper rest is what you need, as do we all," Harrison said, looking at everyone.

"Better yet, what we all need is a proper drink. Who's up for a round?" Cisco asked.

"I'll buy!" Tala cheered, running her fingers through her hair.

"Oh, dude, it's movie night with Joe. I can't. But I'll see you guys tomorrow," Barry said.

"What about you, Cait? Drinks on us?" Cisco asked Caitlin.

"I think I'll pass." Cait said, digging through her purse. Tala shot Cisco a concerned look.

"You okay?" He asked.

"I was looking for my tablet at your workstation. And I found this." Caitlin held up her tablet, showing the Firestorm paper. Tala flushed, looking down.

"I can explain," Tala started, walking around the desk.

"I know you said to stop looking for Ronnie, so we... didn't stop looking for Ronnie." Cisco finished.

"Why?" Caitlin asked, looking at Cisco.

"Because I can't accept the fact that I failed to save someone. I don't accept failure. And I want you to smile again, Caitlin. Truly smile, and Ronnie makes you do that." Tala sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I read eight hundred pages of a paper I barely understood a word of, to try and find a way to make you smile."

"Hartley said he knew what happened to Ronnie." Cisco said, absently taking Tala's hand.

"Oh, Hartley Rathaway, who is currently locked up in our super villain basement jail for going psycho with sound waves?" Tala laughed behind her hand at Caitlin's description.

"Yeah, he's made some poor choices, no argument there. But we looked into what he was saying and-"

"Cisco," Cait cut him off. "Ronnie's gone. And it's time for me to move on with my life." Tala looked at her sadly.

"Doesn't seem like it." Cisco said, making Caitlin turn around.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Look, I'm not an expert on love. I've had two relationships in my life and both were vaguely obsessive." Tala said, glancing sheepishly at Cisco. "But, I think in order to move on from Ronnie, you actually have to move on. I've done the whole dead not dead partner thing. With Sara. After she died, the first time, especially after she slept with Oliver, I mourned her. I didn't even think about moving on even though I had plenty of opportunities. Even then, when she was alive, I didn't really move on."

Caitlin looked at Tala, an unreadable expression on her face. Cisco squeezed her hand gently. "It wasn't until I got back to Starling and started putting myself out there did I get over Sara. Granted I ended up with Ollie more often than not, but that wasn't emotion. Dress up cute. Go to shitty bars. Let yourself get so drunk you hate yourself the next morning and let yourself get hit on by guys and girls. See what happens, just call me when you want to go home and I'll send Cody and Kyle to take care of you."

Tala and Cisco went back to cleaning the Flash's suit, letting Caitlin leave with a thoughtful expression on her face. Tala leaned her head tiredly on Cisco's shoulder, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Can we still go out for drinks?" Tala asked, yawning.

"You are too tired for drinks. We'll finish this up and get some sleep, yeah?"

Tala yawned again, "It's your fault for waking me up at six in the morning. We spend a lot of time training, you don't need to wake up early for a run, especially when we have a treadmill here."

"Tala, training me makes you happier than you've been since Oliver was killed," Cisco said, turning her to face him. "I've seen the happiness in your eyes when I get in a good hit. And for those few minutes, you're free of pain. Until I hit you again. So if me getting up at insane hours is what it takes for the pain in your eyes to go away, that's what I'm going to do."

"Just, not tomorrow? I'm exhausted. I hate running." Tala complained, letting Cisco lead them out of the cortex toward the garage and Cody's car.

"Ma'am, Sir," he greeted, opening the door for them.

"Dude. You really don't have to be this formal. Unless we're in a meeting. But seriously, that's it." Cisco laughed, sitting in the car. He froze when he saw the other man sitting in the back seat, facing them.

"The'eb Sagheer, I bring news to you from Al Sa-him." The assassin in black said to Tala as she got in the car. Tala tensed and looked at him, pain and fury in her eyes.

"Sarab. Al Sa-Him is dead. He was killed in trial by combat by Ra's Al Ghul. Warith Al Ghul informed me herself," Tala's voice was tense and cold.

"No. They are mistaken. He was severely injured, but I brought him to my wife. She has healed him, bringing him back from the brink of death." Cisco didn't see Tala as she moved, holding the man against the door of the car, her sword against his throat.

"If I discover you are lying to me, I will hand you over to Ra's Al Ghul trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Why would you betray Ra's in such a way?" Tala hissed, her powers flowing around her, reaching for the other assassin, while forming a barrier around Cisco.

"Oliver and I knew each other, when he was in Hong Kong. We worked for Amanda Waller. To steal the AlphaOmega to prevent the triad from getting it. Oliver made sure my son was inoculated. He tortured the man who used the bioweapon, infecting my son, trying to get the cure to save Akio. I owe him more than I can ever repay," Tala pulled back, sitting next to Cisco again, her sword gone.

"Thank you, for saving my brother's life. Anything you need of me is yours," Tala said formally as he left. Tala stared ahead of her, not blinking. "Ollie. He's alive. Cisco, he's alive!"

Tala collapsed against Cisco as she started sobbing. Cisco rubbed her back when Tala started hiccoughing.

"I thought you'd be happy?" Cisco asked, pushing her hair out of her face. Tala turned a beaming smile up to face him, unmarred by the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I have never been so happy."

Tala woke up laying across Cisco's chest, feeling it rise and fall. She smiled, thinking about the upturn her life had taken. Oliver was alive and recovering, Ronnie was out there and they would find him. From Sarab's visit, Tala knew she still had her faction of followers in the League. And she wasn't needed as the Blue Arrow anymore. She could be Tala Merlyn, CEO and mechanical engineer. Tala slipped out of the bed, glancing at the clock reading seven in the morning. Cisco stirred slightly, complaining at the loss of body heat. She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before sliding out of the room. She walked down to the kitchen and started cooking breakfast for the two of them. She carried the stack of waffles upstairs, along with a tray of coffee and a plate of bacon.

Tala opened the bedroom door with her powers to find Cisco just sitting up in bed. She smiled at him, setting the plates on the nightstand.

"Breakfast in bed?" Cisco asked, taking the coffee she offered him. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Just being you."

"Not even Barry's cells move this fast!" Caitlin said, studying the sample Barry brought from the jail. "I've never seen anything like it."

"So is the guy a meta? And if so, is he a speedster like Barry and the Reverse Flash, or something different?" Tala asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"I don't think so. The particulate residue that Barry collected at Iron Heights does contain the DNA of Clay Parker, but also that of a woman." Harrison said, wheeling forward to get a closer look.

"Run her DNA against CCPD's database, see if she's got a criminal record," Barry said, turning back to Cisco and Tala.

"Yahtzee. Her name is Shawna Baez." Cisco read off.

"Mostly petty crimes, this girl likes to party, apparently." Tala continued, leaning over to look at Cisco's screen. "List of disorderly conducts at bars longer than Ollie's. Which is impressive in its own right."

"So I'm guessing we find her, we find Clay Parker." Joe said. "Barry?"

The two left, leaving what Tala had taken to calling the Nerd Squad alone in the cortex.

"In the meantime, let's track these particulates and see how they work." Harrison said, looking at the screen again. Caitlin followed him to her lab.

"We'll be right there," Cisco called after them, dragging Tala out of the cortex and down to the pipeline.

"I have had the biggest craving for Thai food. Remember that Thai place we would go on Wednesdays after school Tala?" Hartley said as they approached.

"You said you knew what happened to Ronnie. And how he was still alive. And you said that Professor Stein was at Star Labs the night of the explosion," Cisco said, glaring at Hartley.

"Yes, he was," Hartley said, not sharing any more information.

"Why, Hart?" Tala asked, looking at her old friend with pain in her eyes.

"The mystery isn't why Stein went to Star Labs that night. It's why he didn't leave," Hartley said, giving the pair a knowing look. Tala growled at him.

"Tell us," Cisco demanded.

"Can't. Have to show you," Hartley said.

"You," Tala growled, glaring at him. "Are not getting out of this cell."

"Fair enough, but I know you, Cisco. I know how much you looked up to Ronnie. He was like family," Hartley called as they left, causing Cisco to turn around. "The family you built for yourself here. I know how much you wanna see that family healed. Let me help you."

Tala noticed that Cisco's eyes had taken a distinctly glassy look. Hartley was a good manipulator.

"I can't believe you would stoop this low, Hartley," Tala said, playing his own game. "Refusing to help someone heal their own family when for years all you did was beg for your own family to be put back together. Even going so far as to say you would marry me for a merger. And now you're trying to manipulate Cisco?"

Tala shook her head at Hartley, using the disappointed look she learned from watching Caitlin and Felicity. She could tell it worked when the look in his eyes softened.

"I'm telling the truth. When you are ready, you know where to find me," Cisco leaned over and closed the vault door.

"Koneko?" Tala asked, looking at him.

"Where are those handcuffs?" Cisco questioned, looking at her. "I think we're going to have to let him out. He was right. I do need to find Ronnie. For Caitlin."

Tala sighed, "In my lab. Let's go."

She walked up to her workspace and rummaged through a drawer behind her desk. She quickly found the set of handcuffs and tossed them to Cisco. They went back down to the pipeline, where Cisco opened the door. Tala pinned Hartley in place while Cisco cuffed him.

"I didn't know you enjoyed a bit of rough trade, Cisco," Hartley asked, grinning lecherously at the mechanical engineer.

"My sex life aside, if I'm going to let you out, I'm not taking any chances," He responded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Curiosity's a maddening thing, is it not?" Hartley asked. Tala scoffed, grabbing the cuffs and dragging Hartley out of the pipeline.

"Where do you want to go, your royal jackass?" Tala asked in rapid Japanese.

"Outside, the stairs leading to the courtyard," He replied in English, looking at Cisco, who led the way there.

"You said you were going to show us what happened to Ronnie. Ronnie was in the pipeline with Tala when the explosion went off. What are we doing out here?" Cisco asked as they stepped outside.

"What do you see?" Hartley asked, looking down the stairs, Tala looked at Cisco before walking down, looking around.

"I don't know. Buildings, walls, dirt." Cisco listed off. Tala found a strange looking smudge of dirt.

"Cisco, that's not dirt," Tala said, pointing to a humanoid shape burned into the side of the building. Hartley identified it.

"It's Japanese," Hartley explained to Cisco.

"How can you speak six languages," Cisco asked. "And sound like a dick in every one of them?"

"It means bomb shadow, Koneko. From the atomic bombs from World War Two," Tala said, staring at the shadow.

"Speaking of Japanese translations, how long has he been a Kitten, Tala?" Hartley asked, making Tala blush and look down when Cisco turned to look at her. "Did he not know what you were calling him?"

"This shadow was Professor Stein's?" Tala asked Hartley, gritting her teeth.

"The accelerator did this to him?" Cisco asked, pointing at the shadow.

"You really don't see it do you? You're going to kick yourself when you figure it out," Hartley said.

"Not if I kick you first," Tala growled, glaring at him.

"You were full of it then, and you're full of it now," Cisco said "This is just another one of your lame ass tricks. Come on, we're going back to the pipeline."

Tala turned back to the shadow, sending a brief prayer up for the soul of whoever had died there, when she felt Hartley kick her in the side of her knee. Tala crumpled to ground, gasping in pain. She turned, her hands clutching her leg as Hartley drove his elbow into Cisco's jaw, trying to escape. She watched as Cisco dodged Hartley's punch with ease before stunning him with a punch to the face. Cisco grabbed Hartley and threw him against the wall, then flipped him over his shoulder. Tala watched, suddenly very happy she taught Cisco how to fight. Both men got up, Cisco aiming a kick for Hartley's temple. Hartley caught the kick and threw Cisco backwards, using the advantage to stumble toward the steps. Cisco rolled over as Tala tried to stand to prevent Hartley's escape when Cisco pulled out a device and hit a button.

"You're not the only one who understands vibrations, Hartley!" Cisco said, standing and brushing his hair out of his face. "Those cochlear devices you're wearing, I've made a few adjustments."

"No, please, don't," Hartley begged, shuddering in pain.

"If you know how to find Ronnie, you'd better tell me right now," Cisco demanded, staring down at Hartley, watching dispassionately as the physicist writhed in pain at his feet.

"Please, make it stop. Please! I'll show you, I'll show you!" Hartley begged. Cisco turned off the device.

"Try that again, and I won't make it stop. Ever," Cisco said coldly before looking back at Tala, who was still sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall. "You okay Tala?"

Tala bared her teeth in an imitation of a smile, pushing her powers to form crutches. She looked at Hartley, crumpled on the ground and glared at him.

"I'm impressed. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Cisco is much more than he appears. Are you okay, Koneko?" Tala asked, crutching up the stairs.

"You've hit me harder in training. I'll be okay," Cisco said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"You have to take these off me if you want to find out the truth," Hartley said, holding up his cuffed wrists.

"Here I thought you liked being cuffed, Hart. But I'll humor you. Why do we need to uncuff you?" Tala growled, leaning on her right leg.

"It'll look a little conspicuous where we're going next, tonight though," Harley said, worrying Tala. She concentrated, making her crutches real.

"I'm trusting you, Hart. Please don't make me regret it," Tala said, nodding to Cisco. They put the Rathaway heir back in his cell until the evening.

"We need to go to CCPD," Hartley said as they let him out again. Tala had gotten rid of the crutches, choosing instead to limp along next to Cisco and her old friend. They piled into the back seat of the car Cody had waiting out front for them.

"CCPD Cody. We're doing some digging." She said, leaning against Cisco.

"Yes ma'am. Sir. Mister Rathaway." Cody said, his gaze lingering on Hartley coldly.

"Hart, do you remember, I think it was September, just after we met, you asked me to break into CCPD on a dare - to see if I would do it?" Tala asked, smiling softly at her friend.

"You slipped in through the heating ducts. Straight into the Captain's office. Never got caught once. When I asked you how you managed it -"

"I told you that I was the daughter of the magician." Tala turned to Cisco, who snorted at the truth in that statement. "I was a delinquent of a child. My father was so proud."

"Your father is a mass murderer," Cisco said, pressing a kiss to Tala's temple.

"Was," Hartley said. "Was a mass murderer. He's dead." Tala and Cisco looked at each other before laughing.

"You think my father actually died? Please. That man may have taken an arrow through his non-existent heart, but he's alive. He's in Starling City right now, probably sword fighting with my little sister," Tala said, checking the time. "There are places in the world where death is an illusion. He and I are the reason Moira didn't get charged with five hundred and three counts of murder. Blackmail, bribery, threats. It was almost fun."

"I think you're insane," Hartley said, blinking at Tala. She smiled toothily at him as they pulled into the darkened Precinct parking lot. Tala pulled her fingerless gloves on, letting her powers cover her finger tips. They sneaked around to a side door, where Tala picked the lock, letting them slip in undetected. She pushed, covering the security cameras.

"We're clear. The lab?" Tala asked, glancing at Cisco. He nodded and Tala lead the way.

"CCPD confiscated everything from Star Labs after the explosion," Hartley said as Cisco started hacking into Barry's computer. "Video, Audio, traffic-cam footage."

"What are we looking for, Hart, specifically?" Tala asked, looping her arm through his, the way they walked together in middle school.

"I saw Martin Stein the night Star Labs went boom. He walked right past me," Hartley said, pulling away from Tala. She blinked, ignoring the hurt of her oldest friend being the bad guy. "You see, Stein specialized in transmutation. Molecular transmography. Quantum splicing. Taking two things and making them one."

"You think Ronnie and Professor Stein merged. That's why Ronnie doesn't recognize you and Cait! Stein's mind must be in control of Ronnie's body." Tala said, suddenly understanding what Hartley was alluding to. "Darwinism. The smartest mind and the strongest body. Stein recognized me because I'm on the news nearly as often as the Arrow."

"Open the video file, from the security footage," Hartley said, waving at the computer. Cisco opened it, letting Tala lean forward against him.

"That's Stein," Tala said, pointing to the older man in the footage. He was looking into a bag where a glowing yellow device was held.

"Zoom in a few clicks," Hartley ordered, perching opposite Tala on Cisco's chair. "Now advance it frame by frame."

They watched as Stein was hit by the accelerator blast, holding his glowing matrix.

"His eyes, they turned white, just like Ronnie's," Cisco said, freezing it just after Martin was hit. A few frames later there was a mass of glowing energy.

"There, in the energy blast," Hartley pointed out, freezing the image.

"Is that?"

"Ronnie?" Cisco finished, glancing at Tala. "Did you feel him leave or anything?"

"I was unconscious three seconds after the blast. I didn't notice anything," Tala said shrugging.

"The dark matter merged them together," Cisco said uncomprehendingly. Tala and Cisco stared at the screen, trying to figure it out.

"Explains why Ronnie hasn't been himself recently," Hartley said. "It's because he's Martin Stein."

Hartley snapped his cochlear implant, sending out a piercing shrieking sound. Cisco screamed and collapsed, knocking Tala to the ground. She tried to catch him, gritting her teeth against the noise. She tried to stand not noticing she had started to bleed from her ears. Hartley kicked her knee again, buckling it, then grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall.

"You always said it would be us against the world, Little Wolf. Remember who you used to belong to," Hartley snarled, looking down at her.

"I refuse to submit, never again!" Hartley slammed her against the wall again, stunning her. He let her fall to the ground in pain. Cisco fumbled for his device to reactivate the noise to subdue Hartley, but he pulled it out of the mechanical engineer's hands.

"Can't say I didn't keep my end of the bargain," Hartley said, dropping Cisco's device and shattering it beneath his heel. Tala crawled over to Cisco, trying to stand. The sonic resonance was vibrating against her powers, making them useless. She cried out when Hartley reared back and kicked Cisco in the stomach. "I figure that makes us even-steven. Adios. Oh, and Tala, don't bother looking for me. Unless you want to submit again."

Tala crawled over to Cisco, holding him with one arm as she reached across to crush Hartley's sonic device. She shuddered against Cisco, waiting for the vibrations to stop wracking her body. She pushed with her powers, closing and locking the door to Barry's lab.

Tala sat up gently when she stopped shaking, realizing that Cisco had fallen asleep using her arm as a pillow. She grinned and lifted him, forcing herself to stand, groaning when she put pressure on her injured leg. She limped out of the precinct and to the car, where Cody was waiting anxiously.

"Where have you two been? It's been two hours!" Cody hissed, taking the unconscious Cisco from her arms. "Are you injured? Is that blood?"

"Hartley got us twice with the same trick. Pulled out his cochlear implant and hit us with the sonic resonance. Kicked my knee out again, I am barely standing on my own right now," Tala groaned, leaning against the car. "I was down, he kicked Cisco. After he left I managed to kill the noise, but I was shaking too badly to move. Cisco either passed out or fell asleep. Can you take us home?"

Tala sank into the seat of the car, resting Cisco's head on her lap as Cody drove. She touched her right ear, pulling her fingers away with blood on them from the sonic attack. When they pulled into the driveway, Cody carried Cisco up to their bedroom, laying him on the bed. Tala thanked him and sent him home, saying they'd drive themselves into work.

Tala sat next to Cisco's sleeping form, searching for Hartley on their tablets. She tasked the Merlyn Industries satellite with finding him, and hacked into traffic cameras in case he made a move.

"Hey, hey Cisco, it's okay," Tala said as he stared stirring. "We're home."

"Hartley?" He asked, groaning as he forced himself to sit up.

"In the wind. I've got the company's satellites searching for him, but nothing so far." Tala adjusted the ice pack on her knee. "It's my fault, I should've taken more precautions. Taken my armor or a weapon or something."

"I shouldn't have let him out," Cisco complained bitterly. "What happened?"

"After he sent out the resonance, you went down, I tried to fight it as best I could. It disrupted my powers. Hartley kicked my knee out again, it's purple now," Tala explained, moving the ice pack to show him. "I need to get to the labs to try and find him before everyone else wakes up. Are you up to go in? I can take my bike if you need to stay here."

"I'm coming, you need help getting around with that injury."

Tala looked up nervously as Harrison wheeled into the cortex. She knew he would notice the brace on her knee, and the crutch next to her.

"Tala? What happened?" He asked, worried. She turned, smiling sheepishly. "And what are you doing here this early?"

"Tracking Hartley down," She mumbled, avoiding eye contact. "I may have done something stupid."

Tala thanked Allah that Cisco wasn't there to take the blame. He'd gone down to her lab to get her an ice pack. Barry and a hungover looking Caitlin walked in.

"What's wrong?" Barry asked, looking at the upset and injured assassin.

"Tala has something she needs to tell you," Harrison said, glaring at her. Tala leaned on the crutch and turned to face the speedster.

"Hartley's gone."

"He escaped from the pipeline?" Barry asked, confused. "How is that even possible?"

"I let him out," Tala said. "Are you mad? I can't tell with those glasses on." Tala asked Caitlin.

"I want to yell and wave my arms, but I'm afraid I'd throw up." She said, making Tala feel bad. Cisco walked into the cortex.

"Why? What were you thinking?" Barry asked, glaring at Tala. Cisco frowned, looking at Tala. "You know how dangerous he is! Obviously, he injured you!"

"Hartley said he knew what happened to Ronnie," Cisco said from behind Barry and Caitlin. "And Tala didn't let him out, it was my call. Will you stop trying to take the blame for my actions!"

Cisco walked over to Tala, guiding her into a chair, handing her the ice pack. She created a box for her to prop her foot up on and put the ice pack on the brace, hoping to ease the swelling.

"I told you to let it go," Caitlin said, taking her glasses off. "I didn't want you looking into that for me."

"I'm looking into it for me!" Tala shouted, smacking her palm against the desk next to her. "I don't fail, Caitlin. Not in anything I do. I wanted Cisco, I got Cisco. I wanted to become an assassin, I became one of the best in the League, only second to Ra's Al Ghul's daughter. I wanted to protect Ronnie from the blast, and I will be damned to hell if I don't get him back for you."

Tala looked up at the hungover bioengineer, fury and pain in her eyes.

"This is as much for you as it is for me. My pride will not let me let this go. This is for me, my guilt about not saving him. Cisco's guilt about sealing us both in the accelerator." Caitlin and Barry turned to look at Cisco, unreadable expressions on their faces. "We told him to wait two minutes before going into lockdown. Because I tripped, Ronnie didn't make it."

"And I can't stop thinking, ten, twenty seconds more..." Cisco said, his eyes glassy. "And Ronnie wouldn't be like he is right now. I've wanted to tell you so many times. I'm so sorry."

Tala took Cisco's hand, pulling him backwards toward her. They shared a pained look, both hurting over something they saw as their fault.

"So you two carried that around this whole time?" Caitlin walked around the desk to stand in front of the two engineers. "Do you two know what Ronnie would say if he was here? He would say that you did the right thing, Cisco. And Tala, he would tell you it wasn't your fault. What happened that night wasn't anybody's fault."

Tala gave Caitlin a watery grin, squeezing Cisco's hand, knowing how much Caitlin's words helped him. He squeezed back, looking at her.

"Now come on, don't we have a teleporter to catch?" Caitlin asked. Cisco smiled a genuine smile, making Tala feel less guilty about letting Hartley get away.

"We do have a teleporter to catch. And fortunately we do have a promising theory," Harrison said, wheeling himself over to the main monitors. "Take a look at this. Now, this is the normal behavior of the particulate that Shawna left behind."

Tala huffed and stood, using the crutch to support her weight instead of her knee. She wobbled over to look over Harrison's shoulder.

"Watch what happens when we remove light. Shawna can only become entangled with something she can see."

"So line of sight teleportation. If we corner her in a dark room, she can't escape. I'll work on the cell," Tala said, hobbling out of the cortex. "You lot find her, and catch her."

She stopped as Barry's phone rang, wondering if Joe had found Shawna.

"Hello? Yeah, I'll be right there!" Barry said.

"Everything okay, Bear?" Tala asked, seeing his face.

"My dad, he's been stabbed."

Tala reached out and rested her hand on Barry's shoulder. "Go, we'll work here. Call us with anything you need."

Barry raced out of Star Labs, heading toward CCPD to get Joe. Tala sighed and headed toward her lab to get her tools before modifying a cell for Shawna. She pushed her powers away from her, dismissing the protective barrier she seemed to always have so she could open the vault door.

"Let me think, completely reflective one way glass. That ought to work." Tala tapped on her comms, connecting her to the cortex. "Hey guys, Cisco, do we have any one way glass? I think if we use that, Shawna shouldn't be able to hop out of her cell."

"Yeah, there's some in my lab. I'll bring it down," Cisco said through the PA.

Tala leaned against Joe in the cortex, Caitlin, Harrison and Cisco sitting at the monitors, watching over Barry's telemetry. They were in a tunnel so Tala couldn't use her satellite feed.

"Barry remember, she cannot teleport if she cannot see. Limit her field of vision," Harrison instructed.

Tala grinned as Barry raced back with Shawna, throwing her in the cell in the Pipeline. She let Cisco piggyback her down to make sure the cell held properly.

"Is there any way she can teleport out of there?" Barry asked, glancing at Cisco and Tala.

"It's impossible. It's one way glass, mirrored on the inside," Cisco said.

"Shawna better get used to her reflection. It's the only thing she's going to see for a while," Tala said before turning to Caitlin and Barry. "No one dangerous is ever getting out of this again."

"We promise," Cisco said, smiling softly. Barry stepped forward and raised his voice.

"Shawna. Clay left you, he's out there and you're in here."

"You know what the crazy thing is?" Shawna asked. "I still love him."

Cisco closed the vault door, leaving Tala staring at it. She shook herself and turned, letting Cisco pick her up again. She watched Barry and Caitlin leave.

"We're not letting it go, are we?" Tala whispered in Cisco's ear. He shook his head. "Good. Merged or not, alive or not, this is something I need to do. Something we need to do."

Cody opened the door, letting Tala and Cisco get out of the car at their house. He nodded to them both before leaving for his own house. Tala collapsed on the couch, looking up at Cisco.

"What's on your mind, Koneko?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Hartley," Cisco said, sitting down on the coffee table to look at her. "He said you were calling me Kitten, in Japanese."

Tala felt her cheeks heat up, but nodded, avoiding eye contact with Cisco.

"Yes. When I first met you, I thought you were this small little thing that I wanted to shelter and protect, much like I did Sara when the two of us first got together. She was my little bird, you're my little kitten. My Chisana Koneko," Tala glanced up at Cisco, hoping he didn't dislike it.

"I can dig it, Little Wolf."

Cisco leaned forward and captured Tala's lips in a kiss, picking her up off the couch. Tala wrapped her legs around Cisco's waist and let him carry her up to their bedroom. Thoughts of screwing up by letting Hartley out were banished as Cisco pulled Tala's shirt off, placing small kisses along her collarbone.

"I love you, Kitten." Tala said, pulling Cisco's shirt off.

"I love you too, Tala."


	16. 116 The Nuclear Man

"Remind me why we're here at eight at night when we could be literally anywhere else, doing anything else?" Tala grumbled as she bit into a redvine.

"Because you were the one who insisted on that meeting this morning, meaning we got here at noon," Cisco replied, looking at her.

"You can't really blame me for that! It was just supposed to be the one. Then Cynthia showed up, and Kyle said the press was outside. Next thing I know I'm in a dress, and reporting on Allah knows what," Tala grumbled, glaring at the computer screen in front of her as she answered another email. "I did not get enough training to be a CEO. I'm an engineer!"

"Hey, so am I!" Cisco complained. "It's not even my company. Cynthia just likes shoving me into suits. These shoes are dope though," Cisco said, looking at the new Vans Cynthia gave him.

"Cynthia feeds my shoe addiction. She's always bringing me new ones," Tala said as Cisco wandered into the lab. She leaned over to look at the monitor when it started beeping. Tala pressed the button that would call Barry.

"Hey, there's a robbery at that convenience store on Brand and Paulson."

"Oh, come on can't the police get this one, I'm on a date," Barry pleaded. Cisco walked back into the cortex with his soda.

"Fine, but tomorrow when you read in the paper about the poor little old lady getting robbed..." Cisco trailed off.

"How do you know it's a little old lady?" Barry asked.

"Please," Tala scoffed. "It's always a little old lady." They heard Barry run off, presumably to stop the robbery.

"No little old lady!" He shouted before their line went dead. Tala laughed, looking at Cisco pleadingly.

"Can we please go home now? I really don't want to be in this dress forever," Tala begged, slouching tiredly.

"You're ridiculous. But yes, we can go home. Just let me get my coat." Tala cheered as they headed to the garage, where Cody was waiting with the car door open.

"Do you just sit in the car all day? Or do you leave?" Tala asked, staring at her driver. Cisco laughed, wondering the same thing.

"I go home for dinner. Come back. I get lunch with Kyle unless you want to go out. I'd go crazy if I sat in here all day," Cody explained, pulling out of the garage and turning to take them home.

"You deserve a raise," Tala said, nodding seriously.

"Then give me one. You're the boss," Cody said, stifling a yawn. "It is completely within your power to give me a raise."

"But I just gave Kyle one. If I turn around and give you one to, people start to wonder if I'm playing favorites," Tala groaned, remembering the paperwork she still had to fill out the next day.

"Tala, you do play favorites," Cisco deadpanned. Tala started laughing, nearly unable to stop.

Tala shook her head, trying to stay awake as she slowly forced her way through the last of the paperwork she needed to get through before the end of the month. She pushed her chair back and shuffled into the kitchen, pouring herself another cup of coffee. The clock on the stove told her it was five in the morning. Tala took a mouthful of it, grimacing when the cold drink hit her tongue.

"Screw it. The paperwork can wait another hour," Tala tossed the cup into the sink and walked upstairs, aiming for the shower.

"Have you slept at all?" Cisco said as Tala tried to walk into the bedroom quietly. She turned to him guiltily, shaking her head. "The paperwork?"

"I know you said you would help, I just wanted to get most of it out of the way. Shower?" Tala asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Definitely!" Cisco pulled himself out of bed and followed her into the bathroom.

Tala sighed as the four of them walked into Jitters.

"Dude! You are a crime-fighting lady slaying machine!" Cisco cheered, high fiving Barry after the speedster finished talking about his date with Linda.

"It was so cool. She was so cool," Barry gushed, making Tala smile. "We're going on another date tonight."

"Tonight, really?" Caitlin asked.

"Aren't you worried about moving too fast?" Cisco asked. Tala stopped by the counter where Caity was working to place their orders.

"Hey Caity. How are you this morning?" Tala asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Extra espresso in yours?" Caity teased, laughing.

"I didn't sleep at all. Too much paperwork. Who knew being a CEO was such hard work?" Tala asked, rolling her eyes.

"I'll bring them upstairs for you. And a doughnut," Caity said, starting on the coffee.

"Thank you, my amazing savior!" Tala smiled, jogging up the stairs to catch up with Cisco. She walked up right as Cisco ended a call.

"Perfect timing. We have to go." Cisco said, grabbing Tala's arm.

"For real? I just ordered the coffee." Tala said, looking at him.

"We need to help a friend. It's urgent, please Tala?" Cisco gave her a significant look and she nodded, turning around. Caity handed them two cups and two doughnuts as they left, leaping in the car Cody had parked outside the coffee shop.

"So what's up?" Tala asked as Cody got in the driver's seat.

"We need to swing by Star Labs real quick then meet Joe at Barry's old house. We're going to help him with his investigation," Cisco explained. "I need some equipment from there."

"Will I be needed from there?" Cody asked as he turned them toward the lab.

"Doubtful, we'll have a Star Labs van. Should be fine." Cisco said.

"I'll give you a house key. If you wanna run back to my house and grab the signed paperwork off the dining room table, you can bring it to Kyle and both take the rest of the day," Tala said, shrugging.

"Best boss ever." Cody pulled into the Star Labs garage where Tala started up a van while Cisco loaded what he needed into it.

"Hey Joe!" Tala greeted as she hopped out of the driver's side of the van. She hugged him as Cisco came around from the passenger side.

"Hey man." Cisco greeted.

"Thanks for meeting me."

"Sure. What exactly are we doing here?" Cisco questioned, looking around.

"I have a theory about who might've been involved in Barry's mother's death," Joe said. Tala connected the dots. Joe suspected Harrison and wanted to see if there was any DNA left at the scene. But it wasn't Harrison, it was Eobard Thawne. Tala nearly laughed at the impossibility Joe was presented with. "I thought the three of us could re-examine the scene. You two could apply your expertise and help me prove who did it."

"My expertise right now, Joe, is limited to throwing money at it until it works," Tala grumbled, thinking back to the mountains of paperwork she had to take care of.

"Is that how you got that necklace?" Joe asked looking at the string of jewels around Tala's neck. Tala started laughing, slightly hysterical.

"No. No, I took this necklace off the throat of an Indonesian Princess after I killed her for the League."

Joe and Cisco both turned toward Tala, looking at her trying to decide if she was joking, or if she had actually done that.

"Ra's said I could take whatever I wanted after the original owner was dead. Half of my jewelry box is stolen from royalty or political higher ups that I had to put down. You should see my tiara collection. I can make the British Crown Jewels look like they're not trying." Tala grinned, tracing the pendant with a light touch.

"My girlfriend's scariness aside, should we get Doctor Wells and Caitlin in on this? They'd probably like to help Barry as much as we would," Cisco asked, looking at Joe.

"No, Ronnie was on the news this morning. The burning man hurt someone, they're probably going to focus on that. We can always tap them in later if we need them though." Tala paused, thinking up a better excuse. "Plus, we don't want them to mention something to Barry and get his hopes up. Especially if we don't find anything."

Joe nodded to her in thanks and knocked on the door. A blonde woman in her pajamas answered. Cisco glanced at her before staring fixedly at the corner of the door frame. Joe took on a distinctly uncomfortable look while Tala shot her a wolfish grin.

"Hi! This is Detective West, I'm Tala Merlyn, CEO, and this is my partner, Cisco Ramon," Tala said when she realized neither of the boys were going to speak.

"Hello! I'm Sherry, like the drink," Sherry said, eyeing up Detective West. Tala smirked while Cisco smiled in an adorably awkward fashion. "What can I do for you, miss Merlyn?"

"Please, call me Tala. I don't do things formally. I'm not sure if you're aware, but there was a murder here, fifteen years ago. The victim was the mother of a friend of mine, and I decided that since it has remained unsolved that I would donate what I could to the CCPD to help solve it," Tala said, thinking quickly. "Would you mind if we came in and looked around. We're trying to reorient ourselves."

"Oh, of course! Come right in Detective West, and Tala and Cisco of course." Sherry gushed, looking at Joe again. Tala raised her eyebrows, trying not to start laughing.

"Do you live alone?" Joe asked, aiming for polite. Tala thought he hit the bulls eye on flirtatious.

"Yes, I'm divorced." Sherry said, twirling her hair behind her ear. Tala closed her eyes, biting on her tongue to stop her from giggling.

"Cisco, maybe we should start checking around the room. I'll take UV you take Infrared? If that doesn't pick up anything, we've got the superlight in the van." Tala shrugged and grabbed the light with the purple handle, walking around the room, shining it on the walls and window sills. "I got nothing, you?"

"Nope. I'm getting the super light," Cisco ran out to the van and came back carrying it, tossing it to Tala who started looking over everything.

"Joe, we're not getting anything, even with the super light."

"Super light?" Joe asked, looking up from his file.

"When Cisco gets bored, he starts inventing. He made this thing like, what, two months ago?" Tala explained.

"Technically it's a multi spectrum ultraviolet laser enhanced scanner that detects molecular schisms in the six hundred megavolt range, but I figured Super Light was easier to say," Cisco said, running it over a few more places.

"Right, but what does it tell you?" Joe asked.

"Absolutely nothing new," Tala said, wishing she had more coffee. She shrugged at Joe. "I don't know what we were expecting, not even Ollie could pull the miracle we'd need to get the DNA of the Reverse Flash."

Sherry entered the room, changed from her pajamas to a dress that clung to her tightly. Tala blinked before turning around to face Cisco and bite down on her knife to force herself to stay calm.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink? Water, soda? Wine?" Tala started coughing, trying to hide the laughter. Joe stuttered as Sherry looked at him.

"We're fine, thank you."

"Well, if you change your mind, I've been told my strawberry daiquiris are sinful." Sherry left the room with another glance at Joe and Tala fell to her knees, trying to keep herself quiet. She had tears building up in her eyes.

"I will not judge you," Cisco said with a straight face. Tala choked and the tears fell, rolling down her cheeks as she clutched her sides. Cisco walked over and ran his fingers through her hair, knocking Tala's mind off the flirty homeowner and into a worse, but less hysterical place. She calmed down after a few seconds of deep breaths. Tala looked up at Cisco through her eyelashes, making him blush before taking a step backwards.

"Okay... Barry's mother's body was found here. The knife was beside her. The blood spatter on that wall belonged to Nora." Cisco cut Joe off, placing the super light back in its case.

"I just think it's been too long. And everything's different."

"Except that mirror," Tala said, glancing at the crime scene photos. It was there the night Nora died. "Cisco, check it with the super light."

Cisco pulled the back of the mirror off and shined the super light on it.

"Oh my God, Silver Nitrate," Cisco said, a grin on his face.

"The compound used in photography?" Joe asked.

"It was often used to back vintage mirrors," Cisco said. Tala beamed, taking off running for the van.

"Cisco, I'm gonna need you to help carry this!" She shouted over her shoulder. Joe and Cisco both followed her, Joe confused, Cisco excited.

"The Silver Nitrate was used in old time pictures. It was combined with a flash of light to essentially burn a photo into existence. If the two speedsters were generating enough light, they could've accidentally photographed themselves. Selfies, fifteen years ago!" Tala explained, already pulling a piece of tech out of the back of the van.

Cisco stepped forward to catch the other side, groaning at the effort it took. They walked it into the house, setting it up on a table.

"Remind me why this thing is so heavy?" Cisco asked, glaring at it.

"Because I have no idea," Tala said, rolling her shoulders. "Joe, while we set this up, you might want to flirt Sherry out of the house. I doubt we want her seeing this." Joe nodded and went to go talk with their flirtatious host.

Cisco and Tala started making alignment adjustments and set the images to project rather than print.

"Alright, I sent Sherry to the movies," Joe said as he came back in the room. Tala readjusted the support beam shaking her head.

"Trust me," Cisco said. "The best show in town is gonna be in here tonight."

"So you're telling me, you can get actual photographs from this thing?" Joe asked, surprised.

"Joe, with me and Cisco at the wheel, we could probably build a type 40 TARDIS and fly us back there to see what happened," Tala said, grinning like a kid on Christmas.

"As long as we fix the navigation on it," Cisco smiled lopsidedly at her. "The science behind it is solid. It works exactly like an old film camera. We developed the mirror backing, and fortunately for us, the lightning hit peak about ten times that night."

"Which means we have about ten stills we could potentially find something to identify them. We went ahead and digitally enhanced them, and just for kicks, have it set up to be a 3D projector, instead of the original 2D." Tala walked over to Cisco and wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling into his shoulder.

"Lights," Cisco said, and Joe hit the switch, sending them all into darkness. "Camera, action." Tala watched as Cisco activated the projector and started bouncing on her toes.

"Barry looks like his mom," Tala said softly, looking at the woman in the hologram. She said a short prayer for Nora in Arabic.

"Can you play it again, slower?" Joe asked. Cisco nodded, not having any words.

"There. You see that? Next frame," Joe said, looking at the two streaks. One was in a red suit, the other was in a yellow one. It was definitely Eobard. And Barry, a Barry from the future.

"Joe, is that a blood spatter? On that wall?" Tala pointed, looking at a holographic red spatter.

"This wall paper is new." Joe said, pulling it off the wall to reveal blood.

"Yahtzee." Tala said, grinning. She knew it was future Barry's, Eobard had told her he'd gotten a shot in with the knife. But even if some of it was Eobard's, they'd have no way of linking it to Harrison Wells.

"We had a husband who was holding the knife that killed his wife, we weren't looking for any other suspects," Joe explained. "That blood belongs to one of the two speedsters that was here that night."

"Get a sample. We can analyze it tomorrow." Tala said as Cisco walked away to find a sample kit in the van.

"I got you," Joe said.

"Harrison?" Tala asked quietly, not wanting Cisco to overhear. "What if it doesn't match?"

"Then I apologize to him and try again." Joe said, shrugging.

Cisco and Tala met Joe at CCPD the next day, analyzing the blood samples they'd taken from the wall.

"Yes, yes yes!" Tala cheered, high fiving Cisco.

"We got two different blood samples," Cisco told Joe.

"One for each speedster!" Joe high fived them both, and Tala looked back at the results.

"One is A-positive, and the other one's AB-negative. That's super rare. We can run them both through the CCPD criminal database, and see if we get a match," Cisco said, moving over to a different monitor.

"Can you run them against a specific person?" Joe asked and Tala froze, giving him a questioning look.

"Yeah, sure. If we have something to match it to. Who are we looking at?" Cisco asked. Tala shot Joe a warning look.

"Doctor Harrison Wells," Joe said. Tala rubbed her forehead in exasperation, keeping an eye on Cisco's reaction. He turned around, facing Joe.

"I thought we were trying to solve Barry's mom's murder." Cisco said slowly, grabbing Tala's hand and pulling her away from Joe, behind himself. She let him, walking over and taking up a flanking position.

"We are. And I'm asking you to keep this between us," Joe requested, looking seriously at Cisco.

"You think Doctor Wells killed Barry's mom?" Cisco scoffed. "No way. He didn't even know Barry then, why would he kill his mom?"

"I don't know yet," Joe said, standing up and walking towards them. Cisco pushed Tala behind him, backing up subtly. "But I do know that Wells keeps secrets. And this may be one of them."

"Doctor Wells is a great man," Cisco defended. "I was nothing when he gave me a job, a chance to change my life. He has helped so many people! He is not a murderer!"

Cisco stormed over to grab his jacket, intent on leaving. He hadn't dropped his grip on Tala's hand, dragging her along with him.

"Cisco, I'm a cop. I'm good at reading people. So I know I can trust you two with my suspicion," Joe said, exchanging a look with Tala. "When I go talk to the family and friends of a murder suspect, somebody I know is guilty, and I tell them the person they love is a killer, guess what they all say. 'That's not the person I know' every time."

Cisco pulled Tala behind him again, turning to leave.

"I think I'm done being a cop for today," Cisco said as he led Tala out of the precinct and into Cody's waiting car. He drove them both to Star Labs.

"Are you okay?" Tala asked, taking his hand.

"You weren't surprised Joe accused Doctor Wells. You knew he was a suspect?"

Tala grabbed Cisco's chin and forced him to look at her, holding him in place. She didn't want there to be any misunderstandings between them.

"I didn't trust Harrison at first. I still sort of don't. I can feel people's energy. His vibrates like Barry's does. I don't trust that," Tala let go, but Cisco kept her gaze. "I also make it my business to know everything about everyone I interact with. I have people everywhere that report to me. I knew Joe suspected Harrison, though I thought it died down after the attack by the reverse Flash."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cisco demanded.

"Because you idolize Harrison. I told you I was going to protect you from everything, and that included shielding you from someone trying to disgrace your hero," Tala said gently, cupping Cisco's cheek. "I wasn't going to say anything until I had proof of a wrongdoing."

Cisco was silent as they pulled into the garage of the labs. Cody opened the door and helped them both out of the backseat.

"Koneko?" Tala asked in a small voice, watching Cisco's body language.

"I'm not upset with you. Just Joe. Come on, let's see what all we've missed." Cisco took Tala's right hand in his left and twined their fingers together. She smiled as they walked up to the cortex.

"I need an aspirin, I've got a headache. Do you wanna come with me to get it?" Tala nodded, letting him lead the way. He had his head down as they walked into Caitlin's lab, and therefore didn't see Ronnie sitting on the bed. Tala stopped dead, forcing Cisco to follow suit. "Ronnie? Not Ronnie."

"Professor Stein, then?" Tala asked, stepping forward with her hand outstretched. "It's wonderful to meet you. I read your novel on the Firestorm Matrix, though most of it went over my head." Professor Stein accepted the handshake. "This is Cisco Ramon."

They shook hands, Cisco still looking confused.

"Your colleagues are in the next room, not so subtly discussing my condition." Cisco left the room, and Tala followed, smiling at the professor.

"That's not freaky at all!" Cisco exclaimed as the door shut behind her. She looked at him, only vaguely weirded out.

"I knew my life wasn't normal when I was trained in sword fighting by a man nearly seven hundred years old; but since the explosion, I've needed a new definition of weird."

"It seems Ronnie's fight with the Flash has exacerbated the Firestorm Matrix. It's unstable. It's exponentially increasing the rate of fission inside his body," Harrison said, leading them back into the cortex.

"He's gonna go nuclear. Is Ronnie rejecting Martin? That would explain it. Ronnie wants Martin out, Martin wants out, they just need to do it stably." Tala said, taking Cisco's hand as they followed. "How long do they have?"

"If his temperature keeps rising at the current pace, no more than a couple hours," Harrison said, turning to face them.

"But you can fix it, right? I mean you can separate them before it's too late?" Barry asked.

"Any attempt we make to separate the two of them could be catastrophic. A nuclear explosion. And a nuclear explosion of this magnitude would level the city. Unless... unless the host body were no longer functional." Harrison glanced at Tala, who was deep in thought.

"I think I have a horrible idea," Tala said in Latin, looking intensely at Harrison. She held up her hand and shook it, making it look like a speedster vibrating. Tala winked at Harrison before kissing Cisco's cheek as she dashed out of the cortex.

"What are you doing?" Cisco shouted after her.

"I'm not killing Ronnie, or leveling the city," Tala yelled, already halfway down the hall. She stopped outside Eobard's time vault, opening it and ducking inside. Tala grabbed the tachyon device and sat on the floor, working on taking a small piece of it off to modify without changing Eobard's charger. She didn't react when the door opened behind her.

"Gideon, can the tachyon device be converted into a quantum splicer?" Eobard asked as he stood from his wheelchair.

"Theoretically, but I must warn you Doctor Wells, it will delay your timetable," A voice came from nowhere.

"You mean to tell me there's a supercomputer here that would tell me what I'm doing wrong with this thing?" Tala hissed, glaring down at the round disk she'd created so far.

"Hello Miss Merlyn. Yes, all you needed to do was ask," The voice responded, sounding amused for an AI.

"Go figure. Alright, Gideon, how do I make this encompass the entire person?" Tala asked, glaring up at the ceiling.

"Have you tried using Neoprene strips, going out-"

"Six ways, three front, three back. I have that in my lab. Eobard, the tachyonic device, I just split it giving you as much as I could while still taking enough to split them. I'll meet you back in the cortex," Tala said as she bounced up, beaming in excitement. She hugged the speedster before dashing out of the room again, sprinting for her lab.

Tala cut the Neoprene into strips, attaching them to the main quantum splicer and making them connect with small round conductors. As long as the host had a pulse, it would work.

"I'll need to work on making a suit for Firestorm that can have this attached already. Maybe Cisco can do that," Tala muttered to herself. She twisted the device, watching as it shot out the neoprene and connected itself to her. She twitched as it shocked her slightly. Tala twisted it, taking it off. "Perfect."

Tala walked back into the cortex, holding the splicer.

"Where's Professor Stein?" Tala asked as she hopped on the desk. "I made him a present."

"Looking for the Professor?" Cisco asked as he stalked in. "Yeah, he's gone."

"Sorry, maybe Hart's attack left me with hearing damage. Did you say that our walking nuke is missing?" Tala shrieked, falling to her feet off the desk. "Cait, start trying to track him down. This thing can save his life. Barry, suit up, you're gonna be my delivery boy."

Tala sat and waited while Caitlin and Cisco started tracking Ronnie. Barry sped into his suit. Tala pushed her powers out, encasing the cortex within a barrier that she would seal once their time ran out.

"I've found him. He's in the badlands. The middle of nowhere, thirty miles outside of Central City," Caitlin said.

"Minimum safe distance for a nuclear explosion," Cisco said, looking up at Tala.

"He's sacrificing himself," Harrison deducted.

"How much time does he have left?" Barry asked, looking at the device in Tala's hands. She had flipped it over and started making adjustments with the soldering gun at Cisco's desk.

"Twelve minutes," Cisco said checking his watch. Tala put the tool down and glanced at the device in her hands.

"It's done" She stated, handing it to Barry.

"It's a quantum splicer. It'll separate them, and in the future allow them to merge without getting stuck together. Hopefully, if I'm right," Tala said, biting her lip slightly.

"Now Barry, even you can't outrun a nuclear blast, so you get this device to Professor Stein and you get the hell out of Dodge," Harrison said, looking at Barry. Caitlin took the device out of Barry's hands.

"What are you doing?" Barry asked her.

"I'm going with you." She said resolutely. Tala stared at her slack jawed.

"No, you're not. We need you here where I can keep us all safe when, if, they go nuclear. I can protect us from the blast and the radiation," Tala said.

"Barry doesn't know how to operate the splicer!" Caitlin said, pulling on her coat.

"Tala and Cisco are gonna talk me through it," He said, gesturing to the two mechanical engineers.

"There's not enough time, let's go." Barry looked back at Harrison, who waved them onward. The speedster scooped up Caitlin and ran out. Tala was about to seal the bubble when Cisco's computer started beeping. The two engineers ran and glanced at it.

"What's that?" Harrison asked. Cisco and Tala exchanged looks.

"Comms system is on the fritz with my barrier up. I'm going to go strengthen the signal. Cisco?" Tala grabbed his hand and dragged him out, already dialing Joe's number.

"Tala?" Joe greeted.

"I'm not proud of it, but I ran the samples." Cisco said. "One wasn't identified. And the other had a match."

"Cisco, you're hesitating," Joe said, stating the obvious. "Was it Wells?"

"No, it's not Harrison," Tala said, sharing a bemused look with Cisco. "Cisco said he has nothing to do with it. But we know who's blood it is. It's Barry's."

"We already know Barry was there that night." Joe said.

"No, no, no, you don't understand," Cisco said, taking the phone from Tala's hands. "The sample had high levels of P-16, a protein that builds up in the blood as you get older. And these levels were way too high for an eleven year old."

"This sample was from Barry as an adult. Even older than he is now. I've looked at his blood enough times to know," Tala said, leaning over Cisco. "Now we have to go defuse a nuclear bomb. You'll hear about that later." Tala ended the call.

They ran up to the cortex, coming up just as Caitlin placed the Splicer on Ronnie's chest.

"He's not gonna make it, he's gonna blow!" Cisco said. Tala pushed out with her powers, encasing the three of them in a bubble, thick and solid enough to be visible to them all.

"Get out of there, Barry get out of there, now!" Harrison shouted into the comms. Tala felt the vibrations from the explosion rock through her. She pushed and tried to encase the entire city in a small dome, intent on protecting them all.

"Cisco," She whispered, feeling the city under her protection. Tala could feel the explosion, rocking the ground and rattling against her barrier. Cisco turned and looked at her. Tala's eyes were a cobalt blue, the iris and the whites, not leaving a pupil. She had her arms out, as if she were fending off something from both sides. "I can feel everything. They're safe. They're alive."

Tala's knees bent, buckling under a weight they couldn't see. Cisco lunged forward, catching her as she collapsed, unconscious. The barrier around them that Harrison and Cisco could see wavered but stayed in place, trapping them around the desk. Cisco leaned Tala against the desk, before trying to get a visual on the Badlands.


	17. 117 Fallout

Cisco glared at the computer, realizing the Star Labs satellite wasn't within range to get a visual on the Badlands. He grabbed his Merlyn Industries tablet from his bag and opened their satellite feed.

"Barry, Barry what happened out there?" Harrison asked, looking at the visual of the mushroom cloud Cisco had opened.

"Are you guys okay?" Cisco asked, already worried from Tala's passing out.

"I think so." Barry's voice came through, causing Cisco to lose some tension

"Oh God, the nuclear explosion. There's no telling how much radiation we were exposed to." Caitlin said.

"None," Tala's voice croaked from where she was leaning against the desk. Her eyes were still blue. Cisco looked down at her. Her voice sounded like a hundred of her own overlapping. "You are protected. No harm will come to you."

"Wait, wait. That aside, the Geiger counter on the suit is reading less than one millirad," Cisco said, looking at the suit's telemetry.

"But that's normal." Barry said, his voice sounding confused.

"There was no radiation. Tala, you can drop your protections," Harrison said, glancing at the metahuman on the floor.

"No! There is still danger!" She growled, sounding feral. She tried to stand, but couldn't, an invisible weight still pressing her down. Cisco looked at her, eyes full of worry. Tala's blue eyes met his as she shoved her powers downward, standing fully. "Worry not little one, I will be fine."

"Did it work, are they separated?" Cisco asked, turning back toward the computers. Tala looked at herself, noticing the changes. Her nails were painted, and came to a point, looking longer than she normally kept them.

"Pardon me." Professor Stein's voice was loud enough to come through Barry's comms device. "But obviously I need a change of clothes."

Cisco smiled and turned, pulling Tala into a hug.

"Nice to see you in the flesh again, Professor Stein!" Barry said. Tala sagged against Cisco, before letting out a breath as all her barriers faded. Tala wobbled, causing Cisco to pick her up.

"That was exhausting. Barry, Cait, Ronnie and the Professor are still protected. As are the two of you."

"How did you keep the barriers up after passing out?" Harrison asked.

"I don't know," Tala yawned. She leaned her head against Cisco's shoulder. "I'm glad I did though."

"Tala, you need to let go and relax. Before you pass out again." Tala nodded against his shoulder and let the barriers around her friends fade. She smiled up at Cisco.

Cisco laid Tala on the bed, laying his jacket under her head, and pulling a blanket over her. Doctor Wells started wheeling himself to the elevator in anticipation of Ronnie and Professor Stein's return.

"Ronnie Raymond." Cisco beamed in greeting.

"Cisco." Ronnie pulled Cisco into a hug, unable to stop smiling.

"I missed you so much, man. I shouldn't have locked you two in there." Cisco said, a sad look making its way onto his face.

"Hey, don't. Where is she? Did she survive?" Ronnie asked.

"She's in the cortex, resting. She protected us, each of us individually, and threw a dome around the city." Cisco explained.

"Welcome back, Mister Raymond." Doctor Wells said as he shook Ronnie's hand. Cisco pulled Caitlin into a hug, too excited to stand still.

"Doctor Wells. Caitlin told me what happened to you. I'm so sorry." Ronnie said.

"I am responsible for putting myself in this chair. You are responsible for my still being alive. Thank you," Doctor Wells said, smiling.

"You said you would bring him back and you did," Caitlin said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Doctor Wells said.

"Excuse me," Professor Stein said, drawing all the attention to him. "Are we all planning to sing Kumbaya next?"

"I'm not a singer," Tala said as she walked unsteadily toward the group. "But it is wonderful to meet you in the flesh, Professor. Ronnie, I am so sorry I couldn't protect you."

Ronnie cut Tala off by hugging her tightly. She blinked, before returning the hug. When he pulled away she had tears in her eyes.

"Thank you." Ronnie said simply.

"Why did you get out of bed? You are supposed to be resting, you can barely stand!" Cisco exclaimed walking over to her and letting her lean against him. "I have half a mind to call Cody and have him take you home."

"Don't you dare. I have every right to greet them. I can rest later tonight. Professor, you can follow me, I'll show you where you can freshen up." Tala led Martin to a locker room. "Cisco will bring you some clothes, I'm going to have Caitlin make sure I don't faint again."

Tala walked back to the Cortex, smiling at Cisco as he walked past her, bringing Martin the clean clothes. She hugged Caitlin and smiled at Ronnie again.

"Can you check my blood sugar? I think I should be fine if I eat something. I also have Cody bringing pizza for the lot of us," Tala said, grinning.

Tala followed Cisco into the medbay as Ronnie started kissing Caitlin.

"Yup! Just when I forgot how awkward it was to walk in on you two," Cisco teased, making them both blush.

"You forget what I walked in on last week!" Caitlin shot back, making Tala close her eyes and turn red.

"What happened?" Ronnie asked, staring at Cisco incredulously.

"Training accident." Tala mumbled, trying to cover her face.

"Mmhmm, call it that if you want to. I walked in Tala's gym to get her opinion on something. She had Cisco pinned to the wall. I'm never going to be able to unsee them both topless." Caitlin said glaring teasingly at them both.

"I told you to knock before you entered." Cisco said, shrugging. "I've gotten used to it with Nyssa's penchant for appearing in our living room."

"Our?" Ronnie asked, glancing between the assassin and the mechanical engineer. "You two are together? Nice job, Cisco!"

The two women exchanged fond grins, looking at the boys. Harrison wheeled himself in with Professor Stein behind him,

"I did a full medical workup on the professor. It turns out now that he and Ronnie are separated, they no longer possess the ability to harness nuclear energy." Harrison said, passing a tablet to Caitlin.

"Professor Stein, you appear to be running a little hot as well," Caitlin said, looking up from the information. "Same as Ronnie, a hundred point six."

"Hardly a sweat, Doctor Snow. And hopefully now the only thing Ronald and I have in common."

"It's Ronnie." Ronnie corrected, interrupting the professor.

"Hey, are you gonna miss being able to fly?" Cisco asked, smiling at Ronnie.

"Yeah, maybe if I was the one holding the controller."

"Meaning?" Stein asked, stepping forward. Tala rolled her eyes, pulling her powers into her hands in case things turned physical.

"Meaning you weren't the most conscientious body-mate," Ronnie said, standing as well.

"So you do not consider keeping you alive to be conscientious?" Stein asked.

"Alive? We were living under a bridge, eating garbage." Ronnie deadpanned.

"I did not determine it would be my mind that would dominate our existence but thank God it was," Stein replied. Cisco met Tala's eyes and frowned briefly. "I could feel your fear and panic, emotions that would have gotten us both killed in that state."

"You kept me buried down. You kept me from her." Ronnie said, gesturing to Caitlin.

"Which is likely why she is still alive." Stein said.

"Okay enough!" Tala shouted, her voice echoing around the small room. "You two have spent over a year essentially locked in the same room. Professor, go home. See your wife again. If you need anything at all, you call me and I'll personally see it happens. Barry will take you home."

"Thank you miss Merlyn." Stein reached out and shook her hand before leaving the room.

"I need some pizza." Ronnie said, turning to Caitlin.

"I have pizza!" Cody said as he entered the cortex, carrying six pizza boxes. Tala grinned.

"Perfect timing Cody! Cody that's Ronnie Raymond, Caitlin's dead, combusting fiancé. He was the nuke that went off about an hour ago." Tala said, walking to snag a piece of cheese pizza.

"I was wondering if that was you lot." Cody said passing the box of pepperoni to Cisco. Tala nodded, grinning impishly at Cody. The rest of the team filed into the room.

"Ronnie, this is my driver and personal assistant, as well as my actual personal assistant's husband."

"I see I have a lot to catch up on." Tala smiled at Ronnie, passing him a box.

Joe and Barry walked in, Barry looking slightly pale. Tala sent them a questioning look, wondering what had happened.

"I told him about the blood." Joe said, causing Tala to nod. Joe and Barry went to explain the situation to Harrison while Tala went to find Cisco. They walked in, Cisco hopping up on a stool, chewing on the end of him pen.

"Time travel. Amazing." Harrison said as they entered.

"If the past five months have proven anything, it's that anything can exist." Barry said, glancing at Tala. "But to actually travel through time?"

"The greatest minds in human history put their collective minds to solving that specific puzzle." Harrison said.

"So, is it possible?" Joe asked, still directing his questions to Tala rather than Harrison.

"I believe it is, I mean, we have proof that it already is thanks to the P-16 protein. But problematic. Multiple theories exist about time, and travelling through it. Figuring out how to do it is one thing, but then we have the issue of history and changing it," Tala started explaining, looking at the detective and the speedster. "The Novikov Principle of self-consistency, for example says that if you travel back in time to change something, then you end up being what causes it to happen."

"Like _Terminator_ ," Cisco chipped in.

"Exactly. If I go back in time to prevent my mother's death, I would end up being the one to cause it," Tala said, thinking about her father. "Or is time plastic, changeable. Where any changes to the continuum creates an alternate timeline."

" _Back to the Future_." Cisco said, smiling at Joe.

"Ah, seen that one too. Right, so what's the answer?" Joe asked. Tala let out a barking laugh.

"Do I look like a Time Master? Or a Time Lord? I have no idea. No one does, that's why they're theories. We're smart, but not that smart." Tala said, shrugging her shoulders.

"There is someone else you can talk to about this." Cisco said. "Professor Stein. The man is brilliant. He might know something. Plus, he wrote a paper on the theories of Time Travel."

Barry left with Joe shortly afterward. Tala looked after them, a pensive expression on her face.

"Is something bothering you?" Cisco asked.

"If Barry was there, if future Barry was there that night; he failed. His mom still died," Tala said. "He's going to realize that eventually. And that's going to hurt."

Tala sighed and stared at her computer, leaning backwards against her desk chair. She closed her eyes, rubbing her hand over her face. When she opened her eyes, she saw traffic camera feed that had opened itself.

"Eiling." Tala hissed. She pulled her armor on and ran upstairs from her basement. "Eiling's making a move on Firestorm. Get to the lab."

"Tala, what?" Cisco asked, stunned to find her in her armor again.

"I'm not letting Caitlin lose Ronnie again! Get to the Lab, I'm going after Eiling." Tala growled and pulled up her hood. She stormed out to the driveway and kicked her bike into gear, following the tracker she had on Caitlin's phone. She parked in a shadowed alley and used a jettison arrow to get on the roof.

Tala saw Ronnie stumble out into the alley, instantly surrounded by Eiling's goons.

"Ronald Raymond," Eiling said "The burning man himself. Half of him, anyway."

"Who are you?" Ronnie asked.

"General Wade Eiling, United States Army."

"What do you want?" Tala dropped down from the roof, bending her knees to absorb the impact of the two story drop. She landed in front of Ronnie, her bow drawn, aimed at Eiling.

"To be a pain in my ass," Tala said, pushing her powers around Ronnie. Barry sped in, knocking out everyone in the unit except Eiling. He stopped next to Tala, glaring at the General. He threw a box into the air and Tala watched as something that looked like porcupine quills exploded and honed in on Barry.

"Stings, doesn't it? Had that one developed specifically for you. Micro fragments attracted to Kinetic energy. Firestorm was tonight's main objective, but getting you, that's just gravy." Eiling gloated.

"Gravy you are so not getting!" Tala loosed her arrow, hitting Eiling in the arm. Cisco drove the Star Labs van down the alley, spinning it to let Caitlin open the doors.

"Get in!" She urged. Ronnie grabbed Barry and helped him into the back.

"Go, I'll meet you!" Tala yelled, covering their escape. Eiling pulled the arrow out of his arm and threw it on the ground. Tala pushed her powers out, blocking the van on the other side of the alley. "Eiling, why don't you stay away?" Tala's voice came, loud and multiplied. Her eyes were blue and her nails were silver again.

"Imagine what they, what you could do for the US Army!" He crowed, gripping his bleeding arm.

"I already did my bit for queen and country. I'm not going back. I prefer the color blue." Tala dropped a flashbang and hopped on her bike, speeding away, leaving Eiling standing there.

Tala met them in Caitlin's office where she was trying to dequill Barry.

"You need to hurry, Barry's wounds are starting to heal with fragments under the skin." Harrison told Caitlin as Tala walked into the Cortex, pushing her hood down and pulling her mask off.

"I'll help. I'm no physician, but I did field medicine before. I'm halfway decent with removing bullets." Tala said, moving to stand next to Cisco who was holding the tray for Caitlin to drop them in. Caitlin absently handed her an extra set of pliers. Tala set to work, removing them as Barry tried to hold still though the pain.

"This is just like that time I stepped on a sea urchin," Cisco said, wincing. Barry shot him a look. "Only much worse." Cisco amended.

"Ugh, just don't pee on me." Barry groaned as Caitlin pulled one out of his neck.

"You know that's a myth, right?" Cisco asked.

"I'm so stupid," Caitlin said. Tala pulled another one out of Barry's leg. "Jason Rusch, the grad student who was helping Professor Stein with his Firestorm research, he said that the Army took all of Stein's material when he disappeared. I should've known it was General Eiling."

"Hey, I was there too, I never suspected either." Tala said, pulling out another needle. Barry's knee jerked up, nearly hitting her. "Hold still, or I'll tie you to this bed."

"Eiling still thinks you hold the keys to the ultimate weapon, both of you." Harrison chipped in.

"Okay, let's finish this. I gotta get to Stein's house. Eiling is going to target him too," Barry groaned.

"Stein's fine." Ronnie said absently.

"How do you know?" Cisco and Tala asked.

"He's right there." Tala looked up after removing another needle. She grinned at the Professor before going back to work.

"I don't think Mister Raymond and I are as distinctive as we had hoped." Martin said as everyone turned to look at him.

"At least you're not a pincushion." Tala said, moving up to remove some of them from the speedster's torso. "We can run brainwave tests after we get Barry looking more human and less like a hedgehog. Hmm, Sonic." Tala snickered, making Cisco laugh.

Tala watched as Caitlin set up a computer to look at Martin and Ronnie's brainwaves.

"I'm not a doctor, by any stretch of the word, but even I can tell these are more similar than say, mine and Cisco's," Tala said.

"I'm still inside Ronald." Stein said. Cisco looked at Tala, tilting his head.

"There has to be a better way to phrase that." Tala nodded, trying not to laugh. Barry grinned.

"Alpha, Beta, Theta, Delta, all your brain waves are perfectly in sync. The chances of that happening are next to impossible," Caitlin said, looking at the two halves of Firestorm.

Barry chipped in, "Impossible is just another Tuesday, remember?"

"Yeah, Sarie, but this is like some _Twilight Zone_ level stuff. And I say that knowing full well we have a guy locked up in our basement, who can turn himself into poison gas," Tala said, wide eyed.

"Wait, really?" Ronnie asked.

"Dude, that was like week three," Cisco said.

"Look, if this General Eiling is as dangerous as you say, I need to warn Clarissa." Martin said, standing. Tala shook her head, knowing Stein shouldn't leave the labs.

"I promise, I can get Clarissa out of the city in time. But you need to stay here," Barry said. "I need you to trust us."

"Tala can protect us here. Not out there." Cisco said. Martin nodded and left the room, Cisco following. Tala smiled at Ronnie and left, intent on finding Harrison. She followed his vibrational energy to his office.

"You need to get rid of Eiling. He is a trouble we don't need right now," Tala hissed, closing the door behind her. "I don't care how, as long as Ronnie is safe, got it?"

"You are rather single minded in your quest to protect your pack, aren't you?" Harrison asked, looking at her.

"You would do whatever it took to get back to your time. As would I to protect those I love," Tala said, standing up straight. Harrison saw Tala's blue matter start to swirl around her as her emotions started controlling them.

"You mean Cisco." Harrison stated as he stood up from his wheelchair. "You are worried that Eiling's interest in Ronnie and Stein would lead to putting Cisco in danger."

"Yes. Cisco will always come first for me, everyone else be damned. The moment he is in danger I will be there to protect him. Even from you if I need to, Eobard. I swore I would help you unquestionably to get back to your time, but know this," Tala shoved the speedster against the wall, holding him there. "If your plan, or anything you do, puts Cisco in danger, I will expose you for everything you are, including the murder of Nora Allen, and the intentional explosion of the particle accelerator. I'm sure Hartley Rathaway would love to come back here and shatter your organs the way he tried with Barry."

"Tala, I'm not going-" Eobard tried.

"No! You cross me and I will see your death, or worse, I'll kill Eddie and you will never come to be. Now, get rid of Eiling." Tala dropped him to the floor and left, slamming the door behind her.

Tala went to her gym, pulling off her hoodie and reaching for her gloves. She started beating up the punching bag. That's where Cisco found her.

"Are you okay?" Cisco asked, holding out a water bottle. Tala took it from him, casually tossing up a barrier around the room.

"Eiling is back. He's a danger to Ronnie, he's a danger to Barry, which makes him a danger to Star Labs, and to you. And I don't _appreciate_ ," Tala stressed the word. "Dangers to you."

"Tala, I can handle myself." Cisco said, reaching for his gloves. "You've been training me, really hard."

"Not enough! Eiling has resources. Military ones. I can hold my own against Rangers, but I've had training for the past ten years to hold my own against the SEALS. I had five years as an assassin," Tala growled, falling into a fighting stance on their sparring mat. "And I never lose."

"You will today," Cisco winked as she lunged at him, leaping for his shoulders, intent on pinning him down.

Cisco sidestepped her and landed a punch to her ribcage. Tala rolled into a crouched position and tried to swipe his feet out from under him before standing and throwing two punches in quick succession. Cisco brushed the first one aside, and caught the second one, using his grip on her arm to flip her. He pinned her to the mat, holding her hands above her head.

"You always tell me not to fight with my emotions," Cisco said, barely out of breath. "You fight with yours and I win." Tala took a breath and relaxed, smiling gently up at Cisco. He leaned down and kissed her. Tala smiled into the kiss before flipping them both over.

"I still like being on top, Chisana Koneko," Tala said, threading her fingers through his hair.

Tala pulled away from Cisco when she heard the alarm going off. She ran over to her computer, pulling her pants back on as she woke it up and found the security feed of the cortex. Harrison was laying on the floor, two yards away from his chair, holding himself up to press the alert button on Tala's computer.

"Harrison's in trouble," Tala said, reaching for her hoodie. She pulled it on and ran out of the room, leaving Cisco to quickly pull on his shirt and follow her out, grabbing their shoes as he ran.

Cisco made it to the cortex in time to see Tala pick up Harrison and carry him over to his chair. He tossed her her shoes, which she caught and started putting on as she spoke.

"What happened Harrison? I was a floor down and I didn't hear anything!" Tala demanded, hopping on one foot to tie her sneaker.

"Cisco, would you call for Barry, Caitlin, and Ronnie? This is a matter for the team. Eiling has Martin." Tala froze, glancing at Harrison who nodded as soon as Cisco looked away. Tala threw her other shoe as an act of aggression.

"I told you Eiling was trouble! I told you!" Tala thundered as she started down at the scientist. Barry chose that moment to race in with Caitlin and Ronnie.

"What did you tell him?" Caitlin asked.

"General Eiling has Martin Stein," Harrison said, looking at the team. "He came in here where Martin and I were sharing a drink and knocked him out. I was left over there and unable to get anywhere fast."

"He didn't hurt you?" Barry asked, going over to his mentor. Tala took a breath and accepted her other shoe from Cisco.

"Barry, I told you, only my pride is hurt." Harrison said. "I am not in the position to take on armed soldiers, and it was so quick, I didn't have time or the presence of mind to call for Tala, who was just in her gym."

"Why didn't you notice anything, Tala?" Barry accused, glaring at her. "You always know what's going on in this building."

Tala flushed, "I was otherwise occupied. I didn't think there to be any immediate danger so I was... doing stuff." She finished lamely, ignoring the way Cisco pulled a mock hurt face and mouthed the word stuff to her.

"Where do you think Eiling took Professor Stein?" Caitlin asked.

"I imagine some off the books military facility," Harrison answered, looking at Cisco who was looking at a computer, trying to find the other half of Firestorm.

"We have to get him back," Barry insisted.

"Easy, General Eiling has already demonstrated he has the weaponry to defeat the flash, or worse," Harrison tried to dissuade Barry. Tala could tell by the set of his shoulders that Barry was determined to rescue the Professor.

"This time I will be there. Eiling's new toy won't get through my barriers," Tala said, pulling her armor on, rolling her shoulders. Cisco looked up at her, eyes wide.

"I thought you were done fighting!"

"I guess I'm not. Not until there is no more threat to my family. Ronnie is family and Martin is a part of him. Therefore I have to storm a military facility to rescue the old man," Tala thundered. Her eyes turned blue, almost glowing as her emotions amplified everything she was feeling. Tala glanced down and saw her nails had elongated again, glistening silver.

"How do we find him?" Ronnie asked, stepping forward.

"With his other half. You, Ronnie." Tala said, looking at him. "Caitlin, how fast can you wire up the Human Torch over here?"

Caitlin quickly hooked Ronnie back up to the machine they used earlier. His vitals filled the screen.

"No abnormal brain activity. All his vitals steady."

"Tala, you really think Ronnie can feel where they're keeping Stein?" Barry asked.

Tala shrugged, "I think he can give us a good solid lead for me and Barry to find him. But I swear, I'm going to put an arrow in Eiling's eye."

Cisco took Tala's gloved hand and squeezed it, trying to alleviate her aggression.

"Plus Ronnie got dizzy earlier when the Soldiers grabbed Stein." Caitlin chipped in.

"And Stein developed Ronnie's obsession for pineapple pizza," Cisco added.

"I don't feel anything right now," Ronnie said. Caitlin told him to keep trying.

"He may still be unconscious," Tala mused.

"I'm cold. Is there anyway we could turn up the heat?" Ronnie asked, glancing at Cisco.

"Cold, Ronnie, you're not cold. Stein is. It's nearly unbearably hot in here," Tala said, glancing at Cisco with a grin. She winked at him under her hood and he rolled his eyes. Everyone except Tala jumped when Ronnie screamed in pain. She raised her eyebrows. Cisco ran over to help Caitlin hold Ronnie down.

"You're okay man, we got you," Cisco said, trying to get Ronnie to relax.

"What's happening to him?" Barry asked.

"Electrical shock," Tala said, looking between Ronnie's reaction and his brain waves. "I do believe they're torturing Martin."

"Water. Water!" Ronnie gasped. Cisco quickly handed Ronnie the glass. Ronnie leaned over and shattered it against the table, giving himself a sharp edge. Tala quickly jerked it from his hand.

"Use this, it's actually sterile." Tala deadpanned, handing him her blade. "Ahmaq." Tala watched as he cut into his arm, giving Stein a message.

"Ronnie no!"

"Thalaj! Don't. It's a message. Let him finish." Tala said, reaching out and pulling the doctor away from her fiancé.

"Anything?" Caitlin asked, leaning against Tala for emotional support.

"No, nothing, just cold, like a metal surface," Ronnie said, passing the bloody blade back to Tala. "Pressure on and on and off. Tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap tap."

"I got this," Cisco said running to get a clip board.

"Twenty seven. Professor Stein is in military facility twenty seven," Tala said.

"Girl. Do you know everything?" Cisco asked, blinking at her.

"Koneko, I was in special forces for two years. My XO would've had my hide if I didn't know Morse code. Track it down." Tala said, pointing to the computer. Behind her, Ronnie started pulling off the wiring.

"Facility twenty seven, about three hundred miles away. It was shut down in 1961," Cisco read.

"That's where they're keeping Stein," Barry concluded.

"Betcha that's where they're keeping the aliens too," Cisco said, Tala wasn't sure of he was joking or not.

"I'm coming with you," Ronnie said, standing up.

"No you aren't!" Caitlin and Tala shouted.

"The hell you are. boy! I refuse to bring civilians into this fight! The only reason I'm letting Barry charge into this mess is because he can get me three hundred miles in a minute fifteen," Tala said, glaring at the room as a whole. She softened her voice, lowering her hood and taking Ronnie's hand. "I failed to protect you once. I'm not going to do it again. I can't do that to Caitlin, and I can't do that to Cisco."

"Tala, I'm connected to Stein, I have to go. Cait, I have to go," Ronnie said.

"But did you ever stop to think why your connection to him is growing stronger by the minute?" Caitlin demanded. "Maybe you're being drawn back together! Maybe your proximity will cause you to re-merge into one."

"And what happens to me if he gets killed?" Ronnie asked, looking from Caitlin to Tala. Tala nodded once, slowly, pulling her mask on. She pulled her hood up as her lips turned blue. "Cait, Barry was right. The world's different now. Look, I thought we could get away, start a new life. A normal life together. But there is no normal for us. Any of us. Barry's faster than the speed of sound. Cisco is dating an assassin who will appear in my nightmares. I'm also pretty sure he is the stuff Tala was distracted by earlier." Tala and Cisco both turned traffic light red, staring down at their shoes. "You will always risk your life to try and help people. And I will always be the guy that runs into the pipeline for you."

"The quantum splicer. It was used to separate you once. If Tala's as good as I know she is, it can be used to keep you, you." Cisco said, passing the device to Ronnie.

"Thanks. Okay, let's go."

"Wait!" Caitlin pulled Ronnie into a kiss. Tala smiled at the two and used her moment to grab Cisco and hold him close, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He scoffed and pulled her by her hood to kiss her properly.

"You come back to me." He whispered to her, holding her close.

"You'll never convince me to go anywhere else." She said, running out of the room with Ronnie and Barry.

Barry ran them to the deserted military base, stopping a few hundred feet from the main entrance. Tala touched her comms device, turning it on.

"Cisco, we made it."

"This place definitely doesn't look shady at all." Barry sassed, giving Tala a look. She shrugged and took a deep breath, pushing her emotions to the side.

"Stein's inside. I can feel our connection, like he's pulling me toward him," Ronnie said, looking at the assassin and the speedster.

"It's as we feared, the Firestorm matrix is building toward a proximity re-emergence. Like all matter, it yearns to be whole," Harrison's voice echoed in their ears. "If you two merge, we might not be able to separate you two again."

Ronnie sighed and shook his head. Tala gripped his shoulder, muting her's and Barry's mics.

"I did it once, I will do it again. Whether that statement means I will separate you and Stein, or I will take the majority of a deadly blast, either works," Tala looked at him intently. "Caitlin will not lose you again, for any reason I can prevent."

"Eiling has a gun to Stein's head. He's about to pull the trigger," Ronnie said as Tala turned on the microphones again. Barry ran into the building to find Stein. He returned a moment later, holding a bewildered Professor.

"Woah. I never thought I'd be happy to see you," Martin said, looking at Ronnie. Tala scoffed.

"You'd be surprised who captivity will make you eager to see," Tala said.

"Let's get out of here," Barry said, glancing around. Tala grinned as trucks pulled over. She drew her bow, flicking it to expand it.

"You take Firestorm and get out of here. I'll cover you," Tala said, letting her powers flow around her and the boys, protecting them all from anything.

"Yeah, no way in Hell are they leaving you there Tala!" Cisco shouted through the comms. A soldier in the truck fired a bazooka. Barry went to run it in the other direction, but Tala already had thrown a wall up to protect them.

"Hey moron! They already had one thing designed to do damage to speedsters, you don't think that'll explode the second you touch it?" Tala huffed and glared at the truck. "Now get out of here!"

"Damn it Tala, we are not leaving you!" Barry shouted as the bomb impacted on her wall. It was ice.

"Firestorm, get the hell out of Dodge, Barry get them there, I'll cover you!" Tala glared at him until he started herding Ronnie and Martin away from the truck. She loaded an exploding arrow and fired it, watching it blow at the front tire of the truck. It melted the tire, preventing them from following her. Five gunmen came out and started shooting at her.

"We need to merge again." Tala heard Ronnie say over comms.

"Ronnie no!" Caitlin responded. Tala shook her head and dropped her bow. The soldiers were too close for it to be useful anyway. She pulled out a knife and leapt at the one closest to her, stabbing him in the throat. She pulled it out, ignoring the warm spray of blood on her face. Tala stalked toward the next one, throwing two stars, groaning when one hit his flak jacket and the other soared past him. She blinked the blood out of her eyes and threw a punch, catching him in the jaw, sending him to the ground. She kicked him in the head, making sure he wouldn't get up again. Eiling walked around her fighting his men, over to where a merged Firestorm was standing.

"Eiling, this ends now." Ronnie said.

"And it will." Eiling threw up another box and it exploded, blasting Firestorm. Their flames died out. "An ion grenade. I just bombarded your cellular structure with enough ions to destabilize your matrix."

"But you didn't count on me, Eiling." Tala growled as she pulled a gun out of her waist band and quickly dispatched the three remaining men that surrounded her. She ran over to stand in front of Firestorm. "You are not taking them anywhere, General!" She shouted. Barry sped over and knocked Eiling to the ground, groaning softly.

"Where the hell were you?!" Tala yelled, hitting Barry's shoulder.

"There was another truck coming in behind us," he said, holding his shoulder.

"You're fast, you should've taken care of that quicker!" Tala grumbled and helped Ronnie to his feet. "Can one of you take me home? I've got blood in my eyes."

Ronnie laughed and burst into flames, flying up into the air. Barry picked up Tala and started running back towards Star Labs.

Tala groaned as she pushed her armor back to its stand, accepting the wet cloth Cisco handed her.

"Ronnie or Stein?" Caitlin asked, approaching Firestorm.

"It's me, Cait. Or rather both of us." Ronnie said, smiling.

"Acceptance is a powerful thing." Harrison said, looking at him.

"Powerful enough to reverse it?" Tala asked, wiping the soldier's blood from her cheek.

"We can try it," Ronnie said. Tala motioned everyone back and placed a bubble around Ronnie, just in case. Ronnie briefly caught fire before him and Stein seemed to stumble apart, as though they'd merely ran into each other.

"Oh. I think we're getting the hang of this quite nicely," Professor Stein said, smiling.

"Yo, that is seriously dope," Tala said as she lowered the barrier, letting Ronnie and Caitlin hug. Ronnie looked at Professor Stein, before turning to Cait.

"I understand. You have to go." Caitlin said, looking at her fiancé.

"How?" Ronnie asked.

"I'm connected to you too." She replied, smiling sadly. Tala walked forward and wrapped her arms around the couple.

"Let's leave this goodbye fest for in the morning, okay?"

Tala watched as everyone said their goodbyes, smiling gently. Martin walked over to her first.

"Do you think, you could perhaps-"

"Check in on Clarissa from time to time? Or course, Professor. And if you two need anything, please, charge it to my company. I'm always happy to help my friends." Tala shook Martin's hand and pressed a Merlyn Industries credit card into it. Martin walked over to Barry and Ronnie walked over to her.

"I never did thank you for saving my life. You've done it a few times now," Ronnie said, chuckling.

"You'd have gotten out of the pipeline if I hadn't tripped. I'm just trying to make up for it," Tala shrugged.

"On a serious note, what are your intentions toward Cisco?" Ronnie said, walking forward until Tala backed up against the wall. "Because I can burst into flames now, and if you don't treat him right, Professor Stein and I will be paying you a visit."

"I love him, Ronnie. Completely and totally with a fire that burns hotter than you. It's irrational and crazy and bordering on obsessive, but I would do anything to see him smile, even if it meant setting him up with someone else," Tala glanced at where Cisco was talking with Caitlin, animated smiles on both of their faces. "If I thought for one moment he was in danger, I'd be there in a heartbeat. If I thought for one second he wasn't happy with me in his life, I'd already be back at Nanda Parbat."

Ronnie stuck his hand out for her to shake. She took it, meeting his eyes, he nodded.

"Treat him well. Make him happy, you already do." Ronnie walked back to Caitlin, Tala followed, wrapping her arm around Cisco's waist.

"Ready, Ronald?" Martin asked, walking over.

"Please stop calling me that," Ronnie begged, making Tala laugh. They all walked outside where Tala wrapped her arms around Cisco, standing behind him. Ronnie put the quantum splicer on, and looked at Martin. They both merged in a small burst of Fire.

"We love you." Firestorm said to Caitlin and Clarissa. Firestorm blasted off, making Cisco and Tala smile in amazement. Tala moved away from Cisco and took Caitlin's hand.

"Coffee?" Caitlin nodded and the three of them piled into the waiting car.

"I had Ronnie, then I lost him. Then I found him again, but he wasn't actually Ronnie. Then I got him back, but just for a day, then I lost him again," Caitlin said, dumping sugar in her coffee.

"You guys are like, ten seasons of Ross and Rachel but just, like, smushed into one year," Cisco said, looking into his coffee.

"I am not heartbroken this time." Caitlin said, causing Tala to smile. "I love Ronnie, always will. But there's not this devastating hole inside me. I have a life, and it's a good one."

Cisco and Tala smiled proudly at Caitlin as Iris walked up.

"Hey guys," She greeted.

"Iris, hi!" Cait said, while Tala raised her cup in greeting.

"Hey. Where's your cousin?" Iris asked. Tala raised an eyebrow at Cait, wondering if they told Iris Ronnie was her cousin.

"Uh, he went home," Cait said.

"Oh. Where was that?" Iris asked, making Tala suspicious. She pulled the same thing when trying to catch someone in a lie.

"Midway," Caitlin said, though to Tala it sounded more like a question.

"Oh, I thought you said Coast City." Iris said.

"Cait probably did. Her cousin works for me, in Coast City, but he was originally from Midway. I had him up here for a locations meeting. Because my board literally hates me," Tala babbled, sending Caitlin a look telling her to shut up.

"Alright, well you guys enjoy." Iris smiled as she walked away. Tala followed her with her eyes, thinking.

"I think Iris is starting to suspect something is up with us at Star Labs. She's not wrong, but her father is going to freak," Tala said as she finished the cup in her hand.

Tala walked backward into the house, watching Cisco. Once the door closed behind him, she pinned him to the door, holding his hands above his head and kissing him. Cisco grinned into the kiss, but pulled his hands from her grasp. He put his hands on her waist, spinning them so she was against the door.

"My turn."


	18. 118 Out of Time

Tala sat up with a jolt, realizing she'd fallen asleep at her desk. She glanced at her phone and saw six missed calls from Cisco, and four text messages.

"Oh shit," She swore, standing abruptly and running down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator. "He is going to kill me!"

Tala sprinted for her bike, kicking it to life and speeding out of the parking lot, not realizing she left her helmet on her desk. She raced through town, aiming for Star Labs. She rolled her eyes and swore when she heard a cop pull up behind her. Tala growled and kicked her bike into a faster gear, speeding before taking a sharp turn down an alley, making the cop skid to a halt to try and chase her. She pulled into the parking lot at Star Labs and drifted into a stop, pushing her kickstand down as she sprinted to the cortex.

She ran into the room as Cisco pushed himself away from the movie to look at the computer.

"Silent alarm has been tripped at the Central City Morgue," Cisco said.

"Who'd want to rob a morgue? Sorry I'm late, I fell asleep, please don't hate me," Tala begged, panting slightly.

"You fell asleep at work?" Harrison asked while Cisco pulled up the comms on Barry's suit.

"I have had absolutely no energy this week. I put my head down for five minutes, and suddenly it's nine thirty and I'm late for movie night with you two."

"What's going on, what do you see?" Cisco asked, pulling Harrison and Tala's attention to him.

"A dead body," Barry said. Tala moved over and took a seat next to Cisco.

"Barry, you're in a morgue, you're gonna have to be a little more specific than that," Tala deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

"The coroner, he's dead," Barry restated. Tala frowned, looking at Cisco.

"We don't get much murder in this city. Which makes me look like a raving lunatic."

"There's nothing I can do here as the Flash, I have to wait until they call in Barry Allen, CSI. Go home guys, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Tala shook her head, watching Barry's GPS signal speed back to his house.

"For real? I just get here and he's telling me to go home? I dodged a car chase to get here."

"Car chase?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala. Even Harrison turned to face her, wanting the story.

"I may or may not have been going ninety on my way here," Tala said, smiling guiltily at them. "A cop clocked me and gave chase when I didn't pull over. I pulled an Ollie and drove through the alleys to get here until I lost them."

Cisco shook his head at her, grabbing his coat.

"Let's go, before you get arrested. Wait, where's your helmet?" Tala looked around, trying to find it. She cringed when she realized where she left it.

"Sitting on the couch in my office, most likely. That's where I threw it this morning."

Tala woke up before dawn and made herself a cup of coffee, and quickly made two pieces of toast. She glanced out the window as she bit into her first piece and saw the sun rise. She frowned and threw both pieces in the trash can, walking upstairs to shower. She stepped out, drying her hair as Cisco shuffled in the bathroom. He looked at her in confusion.

"You're up early," he said, a statement and a question.

"Ollie called. My father managed to get himself kidnapped by the League. He wanted some advice," Tala said, shrugging.

"You're not concerned about your father's health?" Cisco asked, surprised.

"Ra's wants him dead. As a follower of Ra's al Ghul, I can't exactly go against his wishes," Tala said, drying her hair. "Besides, Ollie has it in his head that rescuing my father would help his relationship with Thea."

Tala and Cisco rode to Star Labs in the back of Cody's car. Cisco was sipping from his coffee mug, Tala was just holding hers. Cody dropped them at the front door, claiming he was having lunch with Kyle and would only pick them up in the evening.

"Thank you Cody. I appreciate this," Tala said, smiling at her driver. Cody and Cisco both raised their eyebrows at the CEO.

"No problem, Boss. It's my job," Cody gave her a weird look before getting back in the car and driving away.

"What, am I not allowed to express my gratitude?" Tala asked at Cisco's look. He raised his hands in surrender and offered her his arm, leading them to the cortex. Tala dropped into her chair and yawned, shaking her head.

"I'll get you more coffee," Cisco said, leaving before Tala had a chance to decline. She opened her thermos, to see it still full.

Tala stood and walked to the sink in Cait's office to dump it down the drain. She sighed as she sat back down just before Cisco returned with a full cup. She accepted it with a smile.

Barry came racing in, sending Tala's paperwork everywhere. She closed her eyes and counted to five before kneeling to gather it all up. She shook her head to combat the dizziness she felt at the sudden movement.

"So what happened at the morgue?" Tala asked as she stood up, placing the papers on her desk, under her still full coffee mug.

"Mark Mardon, brother of Clyde Mardon. Killed the coroner looking for Joe, or rather, whoever killed his brother," Barry said, glancing at Tala. She glanced down at the ground, knowing it was her.

"So Clyde Mardon has a brother?" Caitlin asked, looking for clarification.

"And both brothers survived the plane crash, and then the dark matter released from the particle accelerator explosion affected them in virtually the same way," Harrison said.

"Yeah," Barry agreed. "Only Mark's powers seem to be a lot more precise. To be able to control the weather like that, indoors?"

Tala groaned and rubbed her head, wishing they had a window in the cortex. She shook her head again and forced herself to focus on the newest Metahuman. Tala opened a new file for him in their database.

"You'd have to be a Weather Wizard! Ohh, been waiting since week one to use that." Cisco took a drink of his Slurpee, making Tala glare at her still full cup. He froze with a groan, and Tala laughed at the look on his face.

"Trigeminal headache?" Caitlin asked, smiling.

"What?" Cisco squeaked, trying to wish away the pain.

"Trigeminal headache, brain freeze," Caitlin explained, sitting at her desk.

"Then why didn't you just call it brain freeze?" Cisco asked. Tala pulled out her phone and discreetly checked the security camera that monitored the parking lot. She smiled when she saw that the sun had set. Tala reached over and grabbed her Slurpee and started drinking it, making sure to coat the back of her throat in her powers so she didn't end up like Cisco.

"I guess running around a twister in the opposite direction isn't gonna do the trick this time," Joe said, looking at Barry.

"I just remembered, during our run-in with Mardon, Clyde Mardon, I was tinkering around with something to help attract unbound atmospheric electrons," Cisco said, looking at Tala. She nodded.

"Like a grounding mechanism?" Barry asked, looking between the two engineers.

"Yeah," Tala spoke up. "The only way Mardon can control the weather is if he can tap into the atmosphere's natural electrical circuit. And if we take away that circuit, boom, clear skies."

Joe checked his phone, "Singh's checking in, I gotta go."

"I'll meet you at the station," Barry said, nodding.

"Joe, you don't need to worry, we will catch Mardon," Harrison called out.

"I'm not worried at all," Joe said as he left. Tala snorted.

"Well, he's taking being targeted by a revenge-seeking metahuman rather well, I must say," Harrison said, making Tala cover another snort by sipping her Slurpee. This was the second time Joe had been targeted by a revenge seeking metahuman. The detective was probably used to it by now. "Don't worry Barry, Joe will be fine, I promise."

"Yeah, no, I know. I actually wanted to talk to you about something else," Barry said, looking concerned. "Look, last night, on my way to the morgue, I saw something."

"What'd you see?" Harrison asked. Tala looked between the two speedsters, curious.

"I was running and I turned and I saw, myself," Barry finished, looking confused. "Or, I don't know, another Flash. Running beside me."

"Curiouser and Curiouser," Tala said, looking at Barry. She wondered if he had created something like Eobard had when he took the Tachyon particles.

"Yea. What do you think it was?" Barry asked, looking between Tala and Harrison.

"Could be an illusion. A mirroring effect created by wind shear and light. Like when you move too quickly under a strobe light and it looks like a stop motion," Tala said. "A speed mirage if you will."

"It didn't seem like that. It felt like... he seemed real," Barry said.

"I tell you what, let's focus on finding Mardon, and once he's safely contained in the pipeline, we can investigate this," Harrison reassured. He wheeled away, Tala walked over to Barry and placed a hand on his arm.

"It's okay. Worst thing this could be is a hallucination. You have the three brightest people working here to help you. You'll be fine," Tala said, smiling up at Barry. He nodded and Tala turned to go find Cisco, leaving the speedster to think. She found Cisco in his lab, writing an equation on a glass board.

"I think your integer is wrong. And that should be negative N over the sum of pi cubed. Not pi squared," Tala corrected, walking into the room. She stumbled over her feet as another wave of lightheadedness washed over her. Tala shook her head before grabbing a marker and making the corrections.

"Are you okay? You've been acting weird all day," Cisco asked, looking at her in concern. "Like, you showered without me, you barely ate anything for lunch, and I only saw you drink two cups of coffee. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine Koneko. I promise." Tala yawned. "Let's get to work on this thing, I don't like the idea of a threat to Joe's life. Unless it's me, of course."

Cisco laughed and opened his tablet, starting on a design that could work. They wanted it to be portable, and easy to use so they could leave it with the police force until Mardon was caught. Tala sat down and started running the numbers Cisco had asked her to, wanting to check his math.

"Koneko, I can't find anything wrong with your calculations here. Everything looks right. Why did you want me to look at them?" Tala asked, glancing up at him.

"Because they all look right. Because it shouldn't have failed," He said, holding up a roll of copper wire.

"Is this the containment thing from when the Reverse-Flash went after the Tachyons? That was weeks ago, Koneko. What brought this on?" Tala walked over to him.

"I can't get it out of my head. It shouldn't have failed, I designed it myself. I, I think it was sabotaged," Cisco said thickly. Tala felt her heartbeat speed up. "And I think it might have been Doctor Wells."

Tala felt her jaw fall open. For Cisco to suspect Harrison, and for him to voice it, even to her, it meant that he truly believed it. Cisco walked around the desk and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Tala tried to blink the emotions out of her eyes, settling on a very confused face.

"I know you trust him, and I know you don't think he'd do anything like that, but there wasn't anyone else helping me with the trap. I just hope I'm wrong," Cisco pulled back from the hug, looking at Tala. "Will you help me figure out what went wrong?"

"Of course, Koneko," Tala forced a gentle smile on her face. "Anything for you."

Tala woke up before dawn again, making toast and coffee and making sure to finish them before the sun rose. She walked up to the bathroom to shower before Cisco woke up, stepping out from under the hot water as he entered the room. Cisco smiled at her, backing her against the wall where he tried to kiss her. Tala quickly spun them in a circle, leaving Cisco against the wall. She grinned and left the bathroom, keeping a towel wrapped around her. Tala didn't notice the confused look Cisco sent her back.

Cisco cornered Caitlin after the two mechanical engineers got to Star Labs.

"Caitlin, have you noticed anything off about Tala?" He asked, glancing at where Tala was checking emails on her tablet.

"No, nothing I've noticed, why?" Caitlin shrugged.

"She's been up before dawn every day for the past two weeks. She's started showering alone and she practically runs away any time I try and kiss her. You don't think I offended her or something do you?" Cisco worried, tucking his hair behind his ears. "And I don't think she's been eating either. I've found half eaten pieces of toast in the trash at our house."

"I'll try to convince her to give me some blood to test. See if she's sick," Caitlin reassured, looking at Cisco.

"Hey, Cisco! I think I have an idea that might work for your wand," Tala called, holding her tablet up. "If we modify the output range, we can have it draw the electrons in, rather than pushing them out."

Cisco walked over, looking at the blueprints, nodding.

"It could work, it looks like it'd be the size of my forearm though. Can we make it any smaller?" Cisco asked, following Tala to their lab. "Like, pocket sized?"

"It's a wand, not a screwdriver. Plus if it gets any smaller we run the risk of electrocuting the user. The neoprene I had left over from the Quantum Splicer can pad the collector so no one has to deal with twenty thousand jolts running through them," Tala said, pushing the door to their lab open with her hip.

"Let's get to work then, what wiring are we using?" Cisco asked.

"Copper. If we use anything different we'd have to build a new one every time we go up against Mardon. It'll have to be thick too. I've got some on my desk."

"We call it the Wizard's Wand," Cisco said, taking it from Tala and showing it to Barry, Harrison, and Caitlin. She grinned at him, taking a drink from her water bottle.

"Subtle. How does it work?" Caitlin asked, looking over Cisco's newest invention.

"Just think of it like an active lightning rod," Tala said, casually wrapping an arm around Cisco's waist. "You point it up at the sky and it'll suck up whatever energy's floating around it like a sponge."

"And it'll stop Mardon?" Barry asked, his concern for Joe echoing through his voice.

"It'll slow him down, that's for sure," Harrison said. "If there are no atmospheric electrons available to him, there's no way for him to control the weather. Good work you two; as always. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stretch my legs."

Tala snorted, looking after Harrison as he wheeled away. She assumed he was heading for his time vault. Caitlin turned to Barry.

"You okay? You seem a little off. Both of you do," Caitlin gestured to the speedster and the CEO. Tala frowned, wondering what she meant.

"Yeah, uh, somebody at Picture News got it into Iris' head that something suspicious is going on with Doctor Wells," Barry said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Harrison was out of the room. Tala raised her eyebrows, wondering how many people suspected Harrison.

"Like what?" Tala asked.

"That he knows what happened to Simon Stagg. Apparently nobody has heard from him since the night we stopped Danton Black," Barry shrugged, looking at Tala.

"The man's a recluse. Sapphire has been keeping me apprised of the company. She's considering selling since her father wants to retire, and she doesn't want to run it," Tala said, knowing full well that Eobard killed Simon. She helped him get rid of the body.

"What'd you tell her?" Cisco asked.

"That she's wrong. And she is," Barry said, and left. Caitlin turned on Tala, raising an eyebrow.

"Now you. Cisco and I are worried about you. He says you've been up before dawn recently and haven't been eating. I've barely seen you drink coffee and I know you didn't eat lunch today," Caitlin said. Cisco sent Tala a worried look. Tala started laughing at their concern.

"Guys, you remember I'm Muslim, right?" Tala asked and they both nodded. "It's Ramadan. Fasting from sunup until sundown. No sexual relations. Religious, month long holiday. Trust me, I'm up before dawn so I can drink a cup of coffee and try and eat a piece of toast at the least."

"And that explains why you've dodged me every time I've tried to start something," Cisco said, nodding. Tala gave them both a sheepish grin.

"You know this means we're not going to let you go out and fight, until you start eating again, right?" Caitlin asked. Tala looked at her incredulously.

"For real? I can still fight!" Tala protested, facing the bio-engineer.

"You pass out like Barry did before we figured out his metabolism, and you're a liability. It's not happening," Caitlin said, looking at her imperiously. Tala sighed before nodding.

"Fine. I'll give you this. Cisco, we should go get that wand to CCPD. It's done, no point in keeping it here," Tala said, grabbing her jacket. Cisco grabbed the wand and followed her to the garage, where Cody was waiting for them. A storm had started up by the time they got there.

"Keep this handy, it'll protect you from Mardon's powers," Cisco said to Joe, setting the wand on a stand.

"Yeah Cisco, I got it," Joe said.

"Hey, Joe," Tala called, stopping him from leaving. "We know you've got a lot going on right now, but you mentioned Harrison might've had something to do with Nora Allen's murder. Why exactly did you think that?"

"Doesn't matter, I was wrong," Joe said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, but you seemed really sure of it," Cisco said, looking at Joe.

"Cisco, Tala, I can't talk about this right now, okay?" Joe said, turning to go back to his desk. Cisco wrapped his arm around Tala's waist and led the two of them back to the elevator. They passed a man that Tala swore she recognized. She made eye contact with him while her mind was trying to place him. She stopped the door from closing when it clicked.

"Call Barry," She hissed in Spanish. Tala stepped out of the elevator watching it close behind her, leaving Cisco in it.

"I heard you were looking for me," Mardon said, standing there smugly. Tala tensed as she pulled for her armor, making eye contact with Joe as she did.

"Mardon! Joe West didn't kill your brother. I did," Tala's distorted voice shouted. Four cops had their guns trained on the two Metahumans. Tala pulled out half of her bowstaff, twirling it in her left hand. "I shot him in the heart with an arrow. Joe shot him after I did, to make sure no one questioned his death."

"Tala, don't," Joe said, watching the assassin move to stand in front of him.

"Joe, you're family. It's my duty to protect you," Tala said, her grip tightening on her bowstaff. She inched forward, hoping to grab the wand as she heard thunder rumbling outside.

"Clyde was my family. And if you can't protect them, you sure as hell avenge them. Right, Tala?" Mardon asked mockingly. Tala lowered her hood, knowing her identity was compromised.

"That's what my father always taught me." Tala lunged forward, arm outstretched to grab the wand but Mark pushed a blast of wind at her, knocking her and Joe back through the glass doors. She landed in a crouch, kneeling before Joe. Eddie started running forward.

"No!" Joe shouted, putting his hand up, stopping Eddie from getting in the crosshairs of the insane Metahuman.

"I'm not gonna be so easily put down, little girl," Mardon said.

"Take him down!" Eddie shouted, pulling his gun out. Singh and the rest of the cops aimed their guns at Mardon. The Meta pulled a blast of wind into existence, pushing everyone but Tala backwards again, shattering all the glass in the room. Tala fought the wind and stood, staring down Mark Mardon.

"I lost a brother too, Mark. My own father caused his death, but I didn't seek revenge. I made my peace and I moved on! Move on Mark, and I won't have to kill you," Tala pleaded. Mark looked to the window and stuck his arm out, summoning a bolt of lightning. Tala braced herself, knowing it was about to hurt.

Suddenly, Tala was across the room, Singh having run and pushed her out of the way, taking the lightning bolt meant for her. Barry raced into the room and grabbed the wand, siphoning out all the energy. Tala pushed herself over to Singh, trying to check the damage.

"You dumb bastard. I would've been fine! Flash! Get him to the hospital!" Tala shouted, moving out of Barry's way. She stood and pushed her hair out of her face, looking around for Mark. He was already gone. Tala started when she felt someone grabbing ahold of her wrist.

"Tala Merlyn, you're under arrest for vigilantism, murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. You are wanted in Starling City. You have the right to remain silent, should you give up that right anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be afforded to you," Tala turned, confused. An officer had her in handcuffs.

"Tell my Kitten I'll be out soon. I'll see him in time for coffee," Tala turned to the stunned detective and let herself be led away. She tried to think of anything that could get her out of this, but she was drawing a blank.

Tala sat in the holding cell and stared at the wall, waiting to make her escape. She looked down at the jumpsuit she'd been forced into, annoyed that they had taken her new boots.

"Well, well, well."

Tala looked up when she heard a voice coming from the other side of the bars. Eobard stood there, looking at her, smirking. She snorted, looking at him.

"It was worth it. Well, it would've been had I actually saved David. Or if I'd gotten Mardon. Don't worry, I'll be out of here soon. You should go. The guard is going to be here in fifteen seconds," Tala winked, pulling a phone out of her jumpsuit pocket.

 _Ready to return that favor? ~TM_

Eobard looked at her with a raised eyebrow before speeding away. Tala slipped the phone back into her pocket and stood up, stretching. The guard looked at her.

"Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it Merlyn?" He scoffed, giving her a dirty look. She grinned at him, giggling slightly.

"I am my father's perfect daughter. And he wouldn't just sit here," Tala winked and pulled the phone out of her pocket.

 _You may want to duck._

Tala crouched down, pulling her armor on. She glanced up at the guard and pulled her powers around her just as the back wall exploded. Tala stood and shook debris out of her hair, looking down at the guard in disappointment. He was laying on the ground unconscious. The assassin scoffed before turning to see her savior. Leonard Snart stood there, grinning at her.

"This is a little messy," he greeted, holding out a hand to help her over to his bike. She mounted it behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"We have about fourteen seconds before we get shot at. Take me to Star Labs?" She asked, as they pulled out. She pushed a wall up behind them, letting the bullets bounce off harmlessly. Leonard parked the bike in the Star Labs parking lot, pulling his helmet off as he turned to face the Metahuman assassin.

"You're a wanted woman now, Little Killer," He said, smirking.

"And you're a wanted man. We could be Bonnie and Clyde. Riding around the country, robbing banks and jewelry stores," Tala said, pretending to swoon. "Sorry Cold, I've got my man."

Leonard grabbed her wrist, pushing her against the light post he parked under. Tala looked up at him defiantly, unconcerned about the gun he now held.

"I could take you with me, not give you a choice."

"Tala!" Cisco shouted, running across the parking lot. Leonard holstered the gun and let her go. Tala winked at him as she walked toward Cisco.

"I'm alright, he was just leaving. Thanks for the help, Len." Tala pressed a kiss to his cheek and walked away. "I take it you saw the news?"

"You're on every channel. Your sister has called me three times. Call her back," Cisco demanded, passing her his phone. She shook her head.

"Can't. They'll be tracing her calls now that I'm wanted for breaking out. Thanks for not freaking about Snart. He was the only one I knew about who could bust me out," Tala said, grabbing his hand.

"Just, stop working with the bad guys and help me figure this trap thing out, alright?" Cisco asked opening the door for her. Tala smiled at him as she entered the building. Cisco glanced over his shoulder, looking at Leonard Snart with a glare. Leonard raised his hand in a salute toward the mechanical engineer before kicking his bike to life and speeding away.

Tala and Cisco quickly reconnected the super capacitors to the force field generator. Tala connected the last powercell and everything lit up, just as the sun was beginning to rise. She stifled a yawn as Cisco grabbed a wire to connect it to the computer running the program. The same computer from that night.

"Let's see if you can tell me what really went wrong that night," Cisco said as he started booting up the system. Tala stood and stretched, glad to be out of her prison jumpsuit. "What?"

"What is it?" Tala walked around to look at the computer screen over Cisco's shoulder. "Well that doesn't make any sense."

"I don't understand," Cisco restated, closing the computer. He walked over to the power generator, Tala following. "Maybe the computer is getting different readings than the generator is giving off?"

Tala shrugged and watched him work. Just as Cisco was about to open up the generator the force field flashed. Tala looked and saw the same hologram she saw when she originally tested the trap. Cisco turned and looked at the holographic Reverse-Flash with a wide eyed look of terror.

"Oh son of a-" Tala cut herself off, pulling for her armor to make Cisco feel better. Tala froze as her phone rang. "Barry? This is so not a good time."

"Tala listen to me, Mardon has Joe. Can you be at the waterfront?"

"No, no I don't think I can do that. I've got an issue here at Star Labs, you'll have to handle this one yourself. Be careful, Sarie," Tala said, ending the call. She pulled out her bowstaff, twisting it into one long piece. Tala shook her head, frustrated. This was her turning point. She couldn't play both sides now.

"My goals are beyond your understanding," the Reverse-Flash hologram said.

"That's what he said that night. To Harrison, Cisco, is this a recording?" Tala asked, making up her mind. She would choose Cisco every time, no matter what the other offer was. She turned and glanced over her shoulder where Cisco pressed a few buttons. The Reverse-Flash moved backwards, and the same sentence came out backwards. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Doctor Wells, we meet at last," The hologram said. Tala lowered her staff. "My goals are beyond your understanding."

"We were played like a freaking violin," Tala said, turning to face Cisco.

"Oh, I'm not like the Flash at all," The hologram said again.

"Some would say I'm the reverse," Eobard said from behind them, managing to make Tala jump. She turned and pulled Cisco behind her and tightened her grip on her staff, ready to strike. Cisco looked at Eobard, heartbroken. Eobard started clapping. "You're incredibly clever, Cisco. So that makes me wonder why you chose Tala."

"Don't. Please, not that," Tala pleaded, dropping the staff. "Don't ruin that for me."

"You're him. You're the Reverse-Flash," Cisco said, pushing Tala behind him.

"You and I have never been truly properly introduced, though I am surprised Tala never told you. I am Eobard Thawne," Eobard said, looking at Cisco. Tala's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"You knew?" Cisco asked, spinning to face the assassin in blue. She nodded slowly.

"I found out when you two first built the trap. I'd been feeling this energy around him that felt exactly like Barry's, so I already suspected him. When Farooq, the Metahuman who stole Barry's powers was attacking here, I saw Eobard let Tony out, he was walking," Tala said, looking at Cisco, wishing she wasn't breaking his heart. "I confronted him, made him swear to never hurt you. As long as you were out of harm's way I was content to let him be. I've wanted to tell you, for as long as I knew."

"Just don't Tala. I don't want to hear it," Cisco's voice, despite his tears, was frigid, freezing Tala to her core. He turned his back to her, facing Eobard again. "The night we trapped the Reverse-Flash, you almost died."

"Yes."

"There were two of you," Cisco stated. Eobard showed him how his after image was created. Tala took off her mask, throwing it to the ground behind her. She planned to call Leonard after this confrontation. She would go with him, truly become her father's daughter. Tala knew Cisco would never trust her again.

"It's called an after image. A speed mirage if you will," Eobard said, letting the mirage fade.

"Joe was right. You were there that night, fifteen years ago. You killed Barry's mom. You killed Nora Allen," Cisco said, glancing back at Tala in confusion and hurt. She started to step forward, but held herself back from touching him.

"It was never my intention to kill Nora. I was there to kill Barry," Eobard said, looking at Cisco.

"Why? You're his friend! You've been teaching him to-" Cisco started.

"To go faster," Tala spoke up. "Eobard is from the future, Koneko."

"Don't call me that," Cisco shouted, turning to face her. "You've been working with him, you don't get to call me that, not anymore, not ever again."

Tala nodded in submission.

"Eobard is from the future. He lost his speed in the fight with future Barry. He needs Barry to go fast enough so he can get back to his time," Tala explained, placing herself between Eobard and Cisco. She saw the look in the speedster's eyes and knew it meant danger.

"And no one is going to prevent that from happening," Eobard said, turning to face the engineers.

"I can help you," Cisco said.

"You're smart, Cisco," Eobard said, raising his hand and vibrating it. Tala tensed, ready to move. "But you're not that smart."

Tala stepped in between Cisco and Eobard. She could feel Cisco's sobs against her back, she could feel the energy of the Reverse-Flash.

"I told you I would kill you if you hurt him. Let us help you get back to your time. We won't tell Barry. We won't tell Caitlin," Tala begged, tears in her eyes. "Go back to wherever you were, be Harrison Wells for a little while longer and we won't say a thing."

"I looked at you like a partner, Tala. We could've been great together," Eobard said, holding her neck with his non-vibrating hand. Tala felt her tears fall onto her cheeks as Eobard pushed her hood down. He shoved his vibrating hand into her stomach. Tala felt her organs pull apart as she fell to her knees. She coughed, tasting blood.

"Tala!" Cisco shouted, looking down at her. She turned to face him, smiling with bloody teeth.

"I love you, Koneko. I'm so sorry I never told you. I guess I am my father's daughter." Tala braced herself on the ground with her arm, holding herself up.

"Do you know," Eobard said, stepping around Tala as she bled to death. "How hard it has been to keep this from the team, especially you, Cisco? Because the truth is, I've grown quite fond of you."

Tala pulled herself toward Cisco, forcing herself to breathe through the pain of her stomach falling apart. She coughed and watched as a mouthful of blood fell to the floor, dripping down her chin.

"And in many ways, you have shown me what it's like, to have a son," Eobard shoved his hand through Cisco's heart. Tala couldn't even scream, she just stared in horror. "Forgive me. But to me you've been dead for centuries."

Eobard let Cisco fall to the ground and left, taking the elevator out of the room. Tala crawled over to Cisco, sitting down. She coughed again, but shook the lightheadedness away, determined. She pulled Cisco onto her lap, holding his dead body as she cried. She bent over and pressed her forehead to his, her body shaking in pain and sorrow. She reached for her phone, calling Cait.

"Tala? Where are you, Doctor Wells-"

"Trap room," Tala coughed, knowing she only a few more minutes, and that she was holding on mostly by willpower. "Hurry." The phone slipped out of Tala's grip as she fell, laying down on her side, holding Cisco.

Caitlin ran down to the room Tala called from, knowing from the tone of her voice that she was in pain. She burst into the room, scanning it for danger. Caitlin saw Tala holding Cisco, and her heart skipped a beat. They were both too still. Suddenly, Tala's body was wracked with a wet, shuddering cough. Caitlin ran over, sliding to her knees next to her friends.

"Wells…. Killed Cisco…. And me," Tala said, blood coming out of her mouth.

"You're not going to die!" Caitlin demanded. Tala tried to chuckle, pushing more blood out of her mouth. She smiled at Caitlin, showing bloody teeth.

"Tell Joe that it's Wells. He's the Reverse-Flash." Tala closed her eyes and her body sagged against Caitlin's. The CEO lost her grip on Cisco, letting his hand go as she took her last breath.


	19. 119 Rogue Time

Tala sat up with a jolt, realizing she'd fallen asleep at her desk. She glanced at her phone and saw six missed calls from Cisco, and four text messages.

"Oh shit," She swore, standing abruptly and running down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator. "He is going to kill me!"

Tala sprinted for her bike, kicking it to life and speeding out of the parking lot, not realizing she left her helmet on her desk. She raced through town, aiming for Star Labs. She rolled her eyes and swore when she heard a cop pull up behind her. Tala growled and kicked her bike into a faster gear, speeding before taking a sharp turn down an alley, making the cop skid to a halt to try and chase her. She pulled into the parking lot at Star Labs and drifted into a stop, pushing her kickstand down as she sprinted to the cortex.

She ran into the room as Cisco pushed himself away from the movie to look at the computer.

"Silent alarm has been tripped at the Central City Morgue," Cisco said.

"Who'd want to rob a morgue? Sorry I'm late, I fell asleep. Please don't hate me," Tala begged, panting slightly.

"You fell asleep at work?" Harrison asked while Cisco pulled up the comms on Barry's suit.

"Oh boy." Tala heard Barry say through the comms.

"Hey, what's going on?" She leaned over to the mic and asked Barry, noticing that he'd stopped. "Sarie!"

"Yeah? Tala, I'm here."

"What happened? Why'd you stop?" She asked, pushing Cisco back from the desk enough to drop herself on his lap.

"I just got a little disoriented," Barry said.

"Did you eat enough today? Anyway, you need to make up some time, man. You'd better hurry up," Cisco said, reaching around Tala to grab a handful of popcorn.

"Hurry, what are you-"

"Hurry, as in get to the morgue," Tala said, shooting a confused look to Harrison.

"The morgue? But I was there yesterday," Barry said. Tala rubbed her forehead.

"What are you talking about? Come on, you gotta go!" Cisco urged. Tala leaned her head against Cisco's.

"Dude must have a bad case of Deja Vu. Hey, what are we going to do about Dante's birthday? I've got him a present to go with the one you got him," Tala said against his neck.

"Do we have to go?" Cisco groaned, already dreading it.

"We can't leave our relationship with your family where it is. We have to try. Last time we got together with them we were expecting a disaster," Tala said standing and pulling Cisco to his feet. "This time, maybe we can expect reconciliation. We can even bring Caitlin along to act as a buffer. And you know she'll tell you to go too." Cisco sighed and nodded, grabbing his coat. They waved to Harrison as they left.

Tala woke up from the sun streaming through the window, blinding her briefly as she squinted at it. She groaned and rolled over, knowing she missed her only chance to drink coffee before sundown. Cisco wrapped a sleepy arm around her, pulling her so she was laying on top of him.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing her frown.

"The sun's up. I can't eat until sundown, I missed my chance for coffee," Tala mumbled, not wanting to get out of bed. "Ramadan, means no food or drink besides water while the sun is up."

"Is that this month? I'd totally forgotten. That's why you said you didn't have any energy yesterday, your sugar is low," Cisco said.

"You make it sound like I'm diabetic. Which ironically would be my free pass to eat," Tala snickered, smiling down at Cisco.

"Technically you and Barry both have hypermetabolisms, meaning you need to eat increased numbers of calories, which makes fasting really dangerous for your health. I'm fairly sure Caitlin would say the same thing," Cisco said, pulling them both out of bed and toward the shower. "And you really don't want Doctor Snow to get mad at you for doing something unhealthy."

"So you're telling me to ignore the fact that it's Ramadan?" Tala asked, raising an eyebrow at Cisco.

"If it gets you in my shower, yes." Tala laughed and let herself be dragged under the hot spray.

"How can you pair a normal t-shirt and jeans with jewelry that costs more than my car?" Caitlin asked Tala in greeting. "And is that... is that an engagement ring?"

Cisco and Tala both choked on their Slurpees. Tala looked at the ring on her finger and smiled softly.

"Technically yes. But it was my mother's, relax," Tala said as Cisco passed Caitlin her own Slurpee. "I wear it sometimes when I miss her. As to costing more than your car, the most expensive thing I'm wearing besides my mom's ring is Cisco's watch."

"Yeah, why are you wearing my watch? It's too big for you," Cisco asked, opening the door for Tala and Caitlin.

"I couldn't find mine. I think I left it in my office with my helmet," Tala said, unconcerned. "Besides, I like wearing your things."

Caitlin and Cisco exchanged fond smiles at Tala's happiness. Tala summoned the elevator and turned to Cisco with a raised eyebrow and an expectant look. He sighed as the elevator dinged.

"We need your advice," He said, glancing at Caitlin. "I have a dinner for Dante's birthday but I don't like him. And I really don't want to go."

"But he's your brother, Cisco," Caitlin protested as the elevator opened, letting them enter the cortex.

"Not by choice!" Cisco exclaimed.

"Okay, well, how bad can a birthday party be?" Caitlin asked, causing Tala to snort.

"Last time Cisco and I were in the same room as Dante, he accused my Kitten of blackmailing me into sleeping with him," Tala deadpanned, causing Caitlin to turn to her in surprise.

"My folks think Dante's stink don't stink. Doesn't matter how much he screws up or how many times he gets in trouble, in their eyes, he can do no wrong," Cisco elaborated. "And yet they never fail to remind me I can do no right."

"Despite being the CEO of a fortune five hundred company, which makes you the fourth richest man in America," Tala said, taking a drink of her Slurpee. Caitlin and Cisco both looked at her in disbelief. "Did you not know that? As CEO, the company's funds are technically part of your net worth."

Tala gave them a cute smile and sat herself down in her chair, kicking her feet up on the desk. Cisco rolled his eyes at her antics before passing her his tablet to start replanning the company's budget.

"What if I came with you two?" Caitlin offered. "I can prevent Tala from committing murder, and I can act as a buffer between your parents and you," Caitlin said, smiling hopefully.

"What, seriously?" Cisco asked. Tala grinned and nodded hopefully.

"Absolutely. You've done so much for me. Let me be there for you for a change. Besides we don't want Tala in jail," Caitlin said, looking at the assassin. "And, I can look at old family photo albums, and see what little Cisco looks like without long hair."

"I'm rescinding your invite," Cisco said.

"I've got some of those. I have some of his college photos," Tala said, looking up at Caitlin.

"Mark Mardon, brother of Clyde Mardon. Killed the coroner looking for Joe, or rather, whoever killed his brother," Barry said, glancing at Tala. She glanced down at the ground, knowing it was her.

"So Clyde Mardon has a brother?" Caitlin asked, looking for clarification.

"And both Mardon brothers survived the plane crash, and then the dark matter released from the particle accelerator explosion affected them in virtually the same way," Harrison said. Barry finished Harrison's sentence with him, causing Tala and Harrison to turn to face the scarlet speedster. "That's right."

"Only Mark's not like Clyde at all. He can do things that you couldn't even imagine," Barry said. Tala concentrated on his energy and noticed that it felt different than it usually did. She frowned, trying to puzzle it out.

"You mean he's sort of like a-" Cisco started.

"Weather Wizard?" Barry said with Cisco. Tala looked at Barry while Cisco slurped up the last of his Slurpee.

"Trigeminal headache?" Barry asked as Caitlin did. Tala grabbed Barry's shoulder and dragged him out of the room.

"Mister Allen, I'd like a word when Tala is done accosting you in the hallway," Harrison called. Tala dragged him down to her gym where she threw up her strongest barrier.

"You're acting weirder than me. What's going on, tell me everything," Tala demanded. She pushed Barry against the wall and held him there by his collar.

"I'm either stuck in _Groundhog Day_ , or I time travelled," Barry said quickly, looking panicked. Tala let go of him and dropped her murderous stare. She pulled over a chair and gestured for him to sit.

"Tell me everything that happened that you remember," she demanded, grabbing a legal pad and her blue pen. She started writing in Arabic, theorizing what could happen if he changed the timeline.

"Mardon was after Joe. Singh confined him to the precinct while you and Cisco worked on this wand thing to stop him. After you two brought it to CCPD, Mardon attacked. You went on the defensive, revealing it was you that killed Clyde. You went from Tala to Spellcaster in front of the cops. Singh was hit with lightning trying to save you," Barry sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You were arrested after I brought Singh to the hospital. Joe was taken by Mardon while you and Cisco were investigating the trap we set for the reverse flash. Mardon created a tidal wave after I kissed Iris and revealed that I was the Flash. I stopped it, but ended up back here last night at ten, on my way to the morgue."

"Okay, so you ran fast enough to go back in time. That's some dope shit though," Tala said, grinning.

"Can I prevent Mardon from hurting Singh and you getting arrested?" Barry questioned, looking at her.

"I would. It'll change things, but I can't see things being worse than the entire city sleeping with the fishes," Tala scoffed. "Harrison will tell you different, but I'd take my advice over his, personally. Has anything been different already?"

"You're eating. You wore something different this time last time," Barry listed off.

"Cisco made a good point about my metabolism and not fasting. I'm going to respectfully ignore Ramadan until I can find a safe way to fast. Come on, you can go have that conversation with Harrison."

Tala led Barry back to the cortex, passing him over to Harrison before going back to her emails.

"Cisco, Kyle needs us to pull another press conference. Not this week, but soon. We've made some interesting choices recently in our investments. Investors want answers as to what we're doing funding Mercury Labs while buying Star Labs."

"Are we not supposed to do that?" Cisco asked waving to Barry as he left, heading to his day job.

"Technically they're competition. There've been some nasty rumors about us boosting the competition to fail the company out. Greyson at the board hasn't stopped filling my inbox with complaints," Tala complained. Cisco started reading the email over her shoulder.

"Wow, that's passive aggressive. Can he... can people talk to you like that? You're the boss," Cisco said uncertainly.

"I'm not even thirty, an unmarried woman, running a company previously headed by only men. They don't see me as the CEO. It happens." Tala shrugged. She deleted the email with a smirk, before stretching. "I'll start drafting a press release explaining why you and I are making the choices we are. Kyle can iron out the details, and with any luck, we won't end up in front of a camera. For now though, I'm going to set up a cell for our Metahuman of the week."

"Mardon?" Cisco asked as Tala stood.

"Yep. Oh, before I forget, Cynthia is picking our clothes out for Dante's party. Caitlin, should I have her grab you something too?"

"If it's not too much trouble, it sounds fun," Caitlin said, smiling.

"Why is she here? Does she have to? She does realize it's a small thing right?" Cisco whined, following Tala down to the pipeline.

"I made sure she knew it was just a family thing. She said she would dress us down a little but keep it appropriate for a party," Tala reassured before frowning. "She's gonna put me in a dress. That's disappointing."

Tala programmed a cell to come to the vault door as they neared, finding one lined with neoprene so Mardon couldn't use lightning again. She and Cisco made a few adjustments, making sure Mardon couldn't weather his way out. Barry ran in and dumped Mardon in his cell just after the two engineers finished it. Cisco and Tala blinked at his efficiency.

"I'm gonna break out of here, and I'm gonna create a tidal wave that destroys your entire city!" Mardon shouted as Caitlin came down.

"You need grief counseling Mark. I lost my brother too. I can't say it gets better, but it is survivable," Tala said as Cisco closed the vault door.

"So, I still don't understand. How did you find him?" Cisco asked, looking at Barry.

"Joe had a list of old Mardon brother hangouts," Tala said. "He passed them on to me, and I cross referenced them with the Merlyn satellites that picked up a few weird weather patterns in the past few days. I sent that list to Barry."

"That's gotta be some kind of record," Caitlin said.

"Yeah," Cisco said. "Well, there goes our excuse for bailing on Dante's birthday. Let's go Tala, Caitlin. Cynthia waits for no man. Even if it is my signature on her paychecks."

Tala laughed as Cisco groaned, leading the way to the garage where Cody was waiting to take them first to Tala's house to get ready, then to the birthday party. Cynthia was waiting just in the living room of their house. Cisco made a face but moved to change into the outfit Cynthia had laying on his bed. Tala laughed as Cynthia manhandled Caitlin while the CEO walked to the downstairs bedroom to change into whatever torture device was laying out.

"Yep. Knew it was going to be a dress. Still, at least it's blue," Tala sighed, as she pulled her tee shirt over her head. She exited the room to find Caitlin admiring her reflection in the mirror.

"Wow. She spared no expense on you," Tala said, smiling at her friend. "Those are yours now, feel free to keep them. I'll probably never wear it."

"Tala, you look-"

"Like a princess. I don't wanna talk about it," Tala pouted. "Cisco's reaction is the only reason I agreed to wear this stupid dress."

Tala walked into the living room, adjusting the cuff on her upper arm. Cynthia nodded at her approvingly before leaving through the front door. Tala sighed and reached for the blazer left sitting out for her.

"Woah," Cisco said from the stairs. Tala turned to face him, smiling at him. "Tala, I mean, wow."

"Yeah, I'm only doing this for you. Also, we are so going out after the party," Tala scoffed. "You cannot look this amazing and not go to the club."

"I would join you two out, but Ronnie is visiting tonight and we're going out to dinner," Caitlin said, pulling on her jacket. "Thank you for the reservation. I don't think we would've gotten in if it hadn't been for your name."

"Glad it's good for something," Tala laughed, opening the front door for her friends. They piled into the backseat of the small limo Cody was driving for the night, taking them to Cisco's parent's house, where Dante was having his party. Tala and Cisco both had boxes. Cisco ordered a selection of piano sheet music and downloaded it onto a tablet that would turn the pages for him automatically based on the tempo. Tala had bought Dante a set of watches, one for each day of the week.

They walked in and Cisco greeted a cousin, shaking his hand. Tala shook his next, greeting him in Spanish, making the nearest relatives raise their eyebrows. Caitlin followed Tala, who followed Cisco into the living room.

"Wow," Caitlin said to Cisco. "Your parents really went all out with the cake."

"Oh, well," Cisco sighed. "It is Dante's birthday, the most important day of the year."

Tala rubbed her hand up and down Cisco's arm comfortingly before leaning over and whispering in his ear. Cisco rapidly turned pink before shaking his head.

"Do I wanna know what you said to him?" Caitlin asked, looking between Tala's satisfied smirk and Cisco's blush.

"Probably not," Tala laughed, stepping forward to listen to the story Cisco's mom was telling.

"Mijo was invited to play Carnegie Hall when he was just thirteen years old," she said. Tala quirked an eyebrow, taking Cisco's hand and holding it tightly.

"They invited the entire band, Mama," Dante said, trying to push the praise away.

"That doesn't make it any less worthwhile," she argued. Dante turned away, finally noticing the group from Star Labs. Tala grit her teeth behind a smile.

"Hey, what's up man? And you brought friends!" Dante said, shaking Cisco's hand before reaching over to shake Tala's. "Glad you could make it."

"Of course." Cisco shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with being there.

"Hi, I'm Dante," He introduced himself to Caitlin. Tala blinked rapidly, a sinking feeling telling her exactly where that introduction was going.

"This is our friend Caitlin," Tala said smiling. Cisco squeezed her hand tightly, forcing her to relax slightly.

"Hi, Caitlin," Dante greeted.

"Happy birthday, Dante," Caitlin greeted politely.

"These are for you, Dante. From me and Cisco," Tala and Cisco held their gifts out, Tala relieved to be rid of the deceptively small package. "Hopefully you'll appreciate them."

"Thanks man," Dante said, making Tala bite down on her tongue as she smiled at him. "Excuse me."

Dante walked away, taking the two neatly wrapped gifts with him. Tala turned her forced grin on Caitlin before reaching just under the hem of her skirt. Cisco grabbed her forearm.

"Do not kill my brother!" He hissed, meeting her eyes. Tala gave Cisco an exasperated look and pulled her hand back into his line of sight, clutching a flask. He gave her a sheepish grin and let go of her arm, choosing instead to wrap his arm around her waist.

"I need a drink if I'm going to stay here without committing a felony," Tala said, taking a gulp of vodka.

"Dante, Mijo, come play for us!" Cisco's mom called, summoning Dante from the kitchen. Cisco grabbed the flask and took a shot. Tala stifled a smile, closing and returning the flask to where she kept it hidden.

Dante returned to the living room and sat at the piano. He started working his way through a simple concerto, finishing it with a flourish. Everyone applauded, his mother cheering louder than was perhaps necessary. Tala put her forced smile back on as Dante stood and walked toward Caitlin.

"I was a little rusty, I haven't played in a while," Dante said to Caitlin, ignoring Cisco and Tala's presence.

"Well, if that was what you sounded like rusty, I can't imagine what you sound like when you've practiced," Caitlin said, trying to be polite. Tala forced herself not to scoff.

"For you I'd practice morning, noon, and night," Tala snorted softly, trying not to laugh.

"That means you'd actually have to get up in the morning," Cisco laughed, glaring at Dante.

"Amante, when we don't have work you don't get out of bed before noon," Tala said teasingly. She smiled at Cisco, trying to lift his spirits.

"That is because when we don't have to be at work you won't let me out of bed until noon," Cisco shot back, grinning. Tala winked at him, enjoying the stunned look on Dante's face.

"So, Mom tells me you're still working at Star Labs," Dante said, turning to face Cisco. Tala looked at the engineer with a proud smile.

"Yeah, why?" Cisco asked.

"No reason man. Guess it was just hard to find another job," Dante said. Tala sneered.

"Actually, Caitlin and Cisco both signed a five year contract with Merlyn Industries. They're legally not allowed to leave unless fired. Not that either of them have shown any interest in leaving, Star Labs is a good place to work," Tala said, straightening her shoulders. She felt her powers start coming out slightly, tendrils draping themselves invisibly around and over Caitlin and Cisco.

"I really like working at Star Labs, and at Merlyn Industries," Cisco echoed, trying to calm the Metahuman down.

"And we couldn't do what we do without Cisco," Caitlin chipped in.

"Oh, he's loyal. Just like a dog," Dante said. Tala started growling lowly, her powers wrapping around Cisco protectively. "Oh come on, why so serious Mija?"

"Oh Dante, still a cold piece of fish. No wonder I had to force him to come here," Tala growled, glaring at him. Tala let Cisco pull her out of the house and into Cody's waiting car. Caitlin joined them a minute later.

"Amante, don't let him get to you. I'm sorry I suggested we come. I thought we could reconcile with them," Tala said as Cody started the car.

"I need a drink. Cody, can we drop Caitlin off before taking us to a bar?" Cisco called up. Cody nodded, looking at the three in the backseat before pulling away.

Tala ordered another drink, downing the burning liquor as she did. She grabbed the beer for Cisco and sat it in front of him as Barry came up and sat next to her.

"Hey man, thanks for coming, even though you can't get drunk," Cisco said, accepting the beer from Tala.

"Koneko, I've set you up a tab. Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Tala asked as a blonde walked up to their table. Tala recognized her.

"Hi. I don't normally do this, but I was watching you and, can I buy you a drink?" The blonde girl asked. Tala blinked and wondered who she was talking to while she tried to place the face.

"Uh, wow. I'm really flattered, but I-" Barry was cut off by the blonde woman.

"I was actually talking to him," she said looking at Cisco. Tala looked at Cisco a beaming smile on her face.

"Um. I'm sorry, you said you were talking to me?" Cisco asked, blinking rapidly. Tala gave him a double thumbs up.

"Yeah, I just told my friends over there that I thought you were cute, and they dared me to come over here and talk to you. So, please talk to me," she said. Tala nodded at the woman approvingly.

"You two can use my tab, I'm going to go shop, or something. You kids have fun. Barry! Let's go." Tala grabbed the speedster and started dragging him out, giving Cisco a huge smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I suppose I can talk to you for a little bit," Cisco said, smiling at the woman.

"Make us proud!" Tala called as they left the bar. "Go on home Barry, I'm going to find another place to..." Tala trailed off as she remembered where she knew the girl from.

"Tala? You okay?" Barry asked, suddenly concerned. She shook her head, smiling widely at Barry.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna wander around for a while. Maybe stop a mugging or two," Tala pulled her armor on, bouncing on her toes to adjust from the heels to the boots. "It's been awhile since I shot someone. Have fun Barry."

Tala ducked down the alley, following a hunch. Another few steps and she felt a familiar energy.

"Your sister is kissing my boyfriend. Why?" Tala asked.

"Because we need him. And you." Leonard Snart stepped out of the shadows and aimed a gun at her head. From behind her, Mick Rory hit her at the base of her skull. Tala felt her spine, wrapped in Graphene, shift and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Tala groaned as she came to, taking stock of her body. She had her hands tied behind her back, and she was laying with her head on something soft. Tala sat up and saw Dante.

"You're the blue vigilante, the one that came here from Starling City," Dante whispered, fear in his voice. Tala groaned, pushing her powers to stabilize her spine. She thought she was going to have to go back to using a choker. Tala dislocated her thumbs to pull her arms out of the zip cuffs. She popped them back into place and glared at Dante.

"I'm also your best bet at getting out of here alive. Now shut up and let me think," Tala hissed, wondering why she was there if Dante was too. "Why would they need us both? You I could understand, unless they knew about the fight. Len would be worried Cisco would let you die. Smart one Len-"

"Thank you, my Little Killer," Leonard said as he stepped out of the shadows. Tala smiled up at him, happy to see him despite the circumstances. Tala pushed down her hood and removed her mask.

"Tala? You're the vigilante?" Dante asked, confused.

"That is so old news, now hush." Tala stood up, only to discover she couldn't move more than a foot and her weapons were gone.

"Wow, these are nice digs," Tala heard Cisco say from the connected room. Leonard shoved a gag in Dante's mouth, preventing him from calling out. When he tried anyway, Snart hit with the butt of his gun, making sure he stayed quiet.

"Oh, we're just squatting," Lisa said.

"We?" Cisco asked, sounding confused.

"Yeah, me and my brother," Lisa said. Tala idly wondered if she had been wearing a wig. Leonard turned on a light.

"Hello, Cisco. Tell me, what are your intentions with my sister?" Snart asked.

"Oh, come on!" Cisco complained. Tala smiled inwardly, wishing she could get in his line of sight. "I should've known better. I am not that lucky. Please don't kill me for kissing your sister."

"I'd be more worried about your girlfriend's reaction," Leonard said before turning to his sister. "You kissed him?"

"You're not Dad, Lenny."

"I know, Dad's in jail. Sterling role model," Snart said. Tala could hear him rolling his eyes.

"What do you want Snart?" Cisco demanded.

"Guns. Heat and cold to be precise," Leonard said, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Tala knew that she was Cisco's motivation, her and Dante.

"There's no way I'm making weapons for you. Never again!" Tala smiled proudly at her Little Kitten.

"Mick!" Leonard called. Mick Rory grabbed her and Dante by the backs of their shirts and dragged them into the room. Tala fell to her knees next to Dante, trying to shield him as best she could. She grinned at Cisco, trying to convey that they were fine.

"I've got him, Koneko," Tala said.

"I know I would do everything in my power to protect my family. The question is, will you?" Leonard asked. Cisco looked at Tala, who nodded.

"I'll do it. But I'll need supplies," Cisco said.

"Mick, Lisa, take the girls wallet, get what we need. She can afford it," Leonard said. Mick reached for Tala, attempting to feel her up for it. Tala grabbed his outstretched hand and flipped him.

"I will hand it to you. Easy there, Heatwave," Tala pushed her armor away, frowning as her dress reappeared on her. She reached under her skirt and pulled a money clip from where she had it fastened to a garter. She removed her credit card and threw it at Lisa. "Kiss my boyfriend again Snart, and I'll shoot you. You're lucky I didn't recognize you."

Leonard grabbed Tala roughly and threw her into a chair, tying her to it. She glared at him, annoyed that he made it worse than when he kidnapped her the last time. Dante got the same treatment.

"Can I get a magazine or something? Last time you kidnapped me I was bored for hours," Tala asked, leaning her head over to look at Leonard. He stalked over and grabbed her chin, pulling her face close to his. She leaned up as if she were going to kiss him. "Please, Len?"

Snart pulled back and walked over to a bookshelf, pulling down a book at random. He propped it up on her lap, resting the spine against the table, giving her enough slack to turn the page.

"Anything else I can do for you, your majesty?" He asked sarcastically.

"Let me and Cisco go. And Dante I suppose. Cisco'd be disappointed in me if I didn't save him too," Tala mockingly rolled her eyes. "He has a shtick about family. My family just tries to kill everyone."

Cisco looked at Tala incredulously, wondering if she was enjoying herself. Tala looked at him, winking and rolling her wrist. She pointed to Dante and pushed a visible ball of her powers into existence in her hand. Cisco nodded, knowing that his brother was protected.

Tala started reading the book Leonard gave her while she waited. She knew she couldn't fight her way out, not with only one of her and no weapons and two hostages. Cisco could hold his own, but even then it was two on three and Tala couldn't risk anything happening to the two Ramon brothers. Tala looked over as Dante started struggling against his bonds. The sun was up and Cisco was still working. She frowned as she realized how hungry she was.

"Dante. Dante, just keep cool, okay? Let me do my thing," Cisco said, trying to calm his brother down.

"Oh, really? And you're going to save us with your 'mechanical engineering' skills?" Dante snarked, apparently unable to not be a dick, even while kidnapped.

"Right now his skills are the only thing keeping your dumbass alive, so I'd shut up and be a bit more grateful to your brother," Tala snapped, glaring at Dante. The three rogues walked back into the room, Mick spotting the heat gun on the table.

"Ah! There she is. I missed this baby!" He cheered, grabbing his weapon.

"Here it is, all finished. Can we go now? Tala wants out of her dress, I can practically hear her grinding her teeth," Cisco said. Tala beamed at Leonard.

"You know, I took the first gun you made apart a dozen times. Learned how it ticked. What went where." Leonard looked at Cisco who frowned and removed a piece from the firing pin. "Thought you could tamper with the firing pin without me noticing? Nice try kid."

"Len, can we go now? Or just let Dante and Cisco go. Keep me here, Dante's innocent in all this," Tala asked, looking at Captain Cold.

"I thought you were a little more ruthless than Scarlet?" Leonard asked, not looking up from his gun.

"Lenny? Where's my gun?" Lisa asked. Tala rolled her eyes, knowing Leonard wouldn't say no to her. "Girl's gotta defend herself."

"I do that just fine without a fancy gun," Tala said, really hoping they would let Dante out of danger.

"My sister needs a weapon. Something that suits her personality," Leonard demanded.

"Make me something pretty and toxic. Like me," Lisa said. Tala bit back a groan, as she tried to subtly get out of her binds. She had one hand nearly free. "How about something with gold?"

"Gold," Cisco repeated, looking at Tala for help. She took a breath, looking over everything they had spread over the table.

"You can't make real gold without melting real gold. It's a base element," Tala said thinking quickly. "But there was a magic trick I learned when I was about eight. If you mix Sodium Hydroxide, Zinc, and nickel. Heat it up to hell and it'll set golden. I think, if the gun is set to blast nitrogen out instantly afterward it'll set instantly."

"Your girl here is pretty smart," Mick said, dragging the muzzle of his heat gun up Tala's spine, making her lean down. She growled and shoved her head backwards, throwing the gun away from her as her armor appeared around her. Tala grinned at Leonard across the table, flipping a knife into her hand. She cut the ropes keeping her wrist to the arm of the chair and threw it, aiming for Cold's chest. He sidestepped it and looked at her in amusement.

"Mick. You're going to stay here and watch our, guests. Lisa and I are going to visit the casino," Leonard said. "Tala, you're free to go."

Tala blinked as Mick cut her restraints. She didn't get out of her chair. She watched as Cisco was tied to the chair next to his brother.

"I'm not leaving without Cisco," Tala growled, rapidly letting her anger control her powers.

"Then come with me and Lenny," Lisa said. "Lenny says you're good at what we do. Prove it, or we let Mick fry the cute one."

Tala looked at Cisco, eyes full of worry. He met her eyes, frowning slightly. She turned to Lisa and Len with a wolfish grin in place. Tala stood and walked over to Leonard, staring at him with empty eyes. She pushed her powers outward, focusing on what she wanted. She couldn't have what she was about to do linked with her in blue. Tala picked up Lisa's blonde wig and pulled it on as her powers coalesced around her, changing her blue armor into something different.

"Swear to me, on Lisa's life that Cisco and Dante will come to no harm while I'm not here," Tala said grabbing Leonard by his parka and slamming him against the wall. Mick and Lisa pointed their guns at her. "Swear to me, or all three of you will fall dead at my feet."

Despite not wearing her usual suit, Tala's voice was distorted by her powers. Wind whipped around the assassin and the thief. Tala's nails sharpened and turned silver as she gripped the signature jacket of Captain Cold.

"No harm will come to them as long as you cooperate. I swear this on my sister's life," Leonard said formally. Tala released him with a nod, taking his oath as law. She softened as she turned to Cisco.

"Tala, don't do this," Cisco begged. "Just go, get to Star Labs, come back for us later."

"I can't do that, my Little Kitten. They'll ditch out of here the second I leave," Tala said, holding his face gently. She kissed him, forcefully, tilting his head back as she bent over his chair. "I'll come back and I'll get us all out of here."

Tala stood and walked away, winking at Cisco as she grabbed her sword and half of her bowstaff. She looked at Lisa and Leonard, nodding while she drew her hood up. Leonard smiled at her, leading her to his motorcycle. Lisa climbed into the sidecar as Tala sat behind Captain Cold, wrapping her arms around him. He drove the two girls to the casino.

Leonard walked in the front door, with Tala behind him, twirling her sword. They knew at least one person had called the cops, and they knew that they had every eye on them.

"You killed my brother!" One of the Santini's said. Tala raised an eyebrow behind her mask, surprised that Leonard would risk starting a mob war. "You shouldn't have messed with my family."

"That's funny. I was gonna say the same thing about ours," Lisa said from behind the mob boss. Tala smirked, enjoying the way the crowd parted for the three of them. One of the bodyguards aimed to shoot Lisa, but she was a faster draw. Despite herself, Tala was pleased her idea for the gun worked. "All that glitters."

Tala giggled softly, watching as the people screamed and ducked for cover. Len froze a chandelier and watched it drop, taking out two security guards. Tala leapt forward, jumping over a woman who had fallen to cut down another gunman. She spun, letting her staff knock a second guard down. Tala jumped backwards, letting herself flip over the table behind her, taking cover with Len and Lisa.

"This is sick!" Lisa cheered, Tala grinned, the manic look in her eyes making them shine a brighter blue as her powers flowed through her.

"You wanted us to spend more time together!" Len replied, shouting over the gunfire. Tala laughed as Lisa and Leonard shot at the guards. Having only melee weapons meant she couldn't do much from there. Tala tilted her head as she felt Barry's energy rush into the room.

"How many times are we gonna go through this, Snart?" Barry asked in the now silent room.

"Until the best man wins!" Leonard said as he stood, aiming the cold gun at the speedster. Barry ran over and grabbed Lisa, aiming her own gun at her head. Tala stood and circled the speedster.

"Drop the gun!" Barry shouted.

"We all know you won't do anything to her," Leonard said, raising his hands in mock surrender. Tala stood behind Barry and gently laid her sword on his shoulder, as if she would decapitate him. "Oh, by the way, meet my baby sister. Lisa, Flash. Flash, Lisa."

"And the one with the sword?" Barry asked, jerking his head slightly.

"Insurance, for your cooperation," Leonard said. "Cisco has been very very busy. Unless you want me to mail small, frozen pieces of him back to his family, I'd take your hands off of her."

Barry shoved Lisa away, handing her the golden gun, but Tala kept her hand steady. She tapped the Flash with the side of the blade, watching him flinch.

"Let him go, Snart," Barry said, his voice shaking. Tala didn't know if it was fear of her, or fear for Cisco. "If his girlfriend finds out, she'll kill you, and Lisa."

"I'll think about it," Leonard said shortly. He turned and left. Tala didn't lower her blade until Lisa blew Barry a kiss. She sheathed it, laying it across her back as she walked out watching her friend.

"And who are you?" Barry asked as she was at the door. "You didn't get an introduction. Are you not important enough?" Tala laughed, smiling at the speedster.

"I don't need one. I already know you, Flash," Tala taunted, her eyes losing all laughter. "I'm just trying to protect my pack."

"Wolf?" Barry asked, speeding over to her. He pulled the hood back over the blonde wig and met Tala's eyes, blue from her powers.

"He has Cisco." Tala's voice shook from fear and unshed tears.

"Killer, let's go!" Leonard shouted. Tala turned and ran, putting her manic smile back on her face. She jumped on the bike and let Leonard drive them back to their hide out.

"Mick!" Tala shouted as she burst into the room. Dante and Cisco were laying on the ground, Mick beating on Cisco. Tala kicked him, sending the pyro stumbling backwards, away from Cisco and Dante.

"Sounds like you're hungry. Why don't you and I go grab some dinner?" Lisa said, leading Mick away from the assassin.

"You swore to me he would be unharmed!" Tala screamed, looking at Cisco's injuries. She sighed when she didn't see anything broken.

"I can't control Mick, you know that, Tala," Leonard said, giving her a look that asked her what she expected.

"I liked you, I was willing to work with you. But you swore to me that Cisco would be safe!" Tala yelled, shoving Snart back. Cisco stood up, leaning on the lopsided table. Snart hit Tala in the face with the side of the cold gun, sending her flying.

"Cisco, you answer one question for me, and I let you all walk," Leonard said, standing over Cisco, who dove to try and catch Tala.

"What's the question?" Tala sat up, throwing her mask to the side. Her hood had fallen back, and she sported a cut along her cheekbone.

"The Flash, who is he?" Leonard asked, looking at the two engineers. Cisco had a tear rolling down his cheek. Tala noticed it as it caught the light. She could feel him shaking.

"I swear, he always wears a mask," Cisco lied, shaking his head.

"Tala, what about you, you know who he is, I know you do," Leonard asked, forcing her to look up at him with the muzzle of the cold gun. She glared at him. Leonard moved the gun away from Tala's face and shot Dante's hands.

"No, don't! Stop!" Cisco yelled, pushing Tala away and diving for his brother. The assassin forced herself to stand, putting herself between the Ramon brothers and Leonard.

"That is first degree frostbite. He could recover with proper treatment," Leonard said, looking at Tala, his face neutral. "If not, all his tendons, blood vessels, and nerves will freeze. His fingers will need to be amputated. No more concertos for the Ramon family holidays. Now tell me, who is the Flash?"

"Barry Allen," Tala said, placing her hand on Cisco's shoulder. "Barry Allen is the Flash."

Leonard smiled at her and walked out, unconcerned. Tala pushed Cisco out of the way and pulled Dante into her arms, lifting him easily. She led the way out of the house, motioning for Cisco to open the back door to the car Lisa used to bring him in. Tala gently laid Dante across the backseat, before running to get in the driver's seat. Cisco jumped in the passenger side as Tala hotwired the car to start and rushed them all to the nearest hospital, two blocks away. She skid to a halt, drifting the car into a telephone pole in her haste. She was out the door before Cisco could move and was carrying Dante to the emergency room. Tala laid him on a bed and walked out, making sure a nurse was already attending him.

Cisco was standing outside, hiding in a shadow. His wrists were still bound with rope. Tala drew her sword and freed him.

"You told Snart who Barry was," Cisco mumbled.

"He was hurting Dante, and therefore hurting you. I could never let anything hurt you. It wasn't even a choice," Tala said, her voice falling back to normal as her powers fell dormant. "I will always protect you my Little Kitten. Come on, let's get to the lab."

Tala took Cisco's hand, walking in the direction of Star Labs, grateful that they weren't miles away. They walked in silence, Tala hoping she still had a place on the team after Barry found out what she did. Cisco was worrying about his brother. They entered the building together, each one trying to reassure the other.

"Braveheart Barry, we'll get Cisco and Tala back," Harrison said.

"We're back," Tala said, stepping away from Cisco slightly. He grabbed her arm, but dropped it when she glared at him. She was still wearing the clothes she used to disguise herself at the casino.

"My God, are you okay?" Caitlin asked as she ran over to hug Cisco and Tala. "We were so worried."

"What happened? How did you escape?" Barry asked, grabbing Tala's shoulders and looking her over for injuries before hugging Cisco.

"We didn't. Snart let us go," Tala said, looking down.

"Why?" Barry asked, looking between the engineers.

"He... he tortured Dante, first degree frostbite on his hands," Tala said, forcing her voice to remain steady. "He had a question. One question and we could go free. Had it just been me, I would never have answered, I would've died first."

Cisco saw Tala start shaking and he moved toward her, pulling the assassin into his arms. She took a deep breath and started over.

"First, he demanded Cisco rebuild their guns. Then Lisa wanted one so we had to make her one," Tala said, staring fixedly at the floor. "Then I was told I was free to go. I suppose Cisco was supposed to be insurance for you, Barry. I couldn't leave him there, so I stayed. Lisa suggested I go with them on the heist, hence the outfit change. When we got back, Mick had knocked Cisco and Dante to the ground, and was... was beating Cisco."

Tala tried to blink tears out of her eyes, but felt them roll down her cheek, stinging the cut the cold gun left on her face.

"Snart said that we could all go. No strings attached. If we told him who the Flash was," Cisco's shoulders slumped. "We were going to say no, you know we would never put you in danger like that. But he started torturing Dante, and we told him."

"Cisco. Don't take the blame for my deeds. I told him, I couldn't, despite everything I've been through, the look of pain on Cisco's face as they tortured Dante. I couldn't. I told him, I told Leonard who you were." Tala said, pulling herself out of Cisco's grip and straightening her shoulders.

"Hey," Barry said as he walked up to Tala and Cisco who still had tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry Barry, I'm so sorry," Tala said, looking up at him.

"No. I put you in that position," Barry pulled Tala into a hug. "I'm the one who's sorry. To both of you."

Tala pulled herself out of the hug and started walking toward her workspace.

"Where are you going?" Barry asked.

"I don't deserve to be here. Cisco, I know I said it in the past, but I told a villain with the means to kill Barry, who he was. I won't be the one to put you, Barry, or Caitlin in jeopardy, not again," Tala said, not turning to face them. "Never again."

Tala turned and left the cortex. She walked to her workspace where she grabbed her duffle bag from under her desk. Tala grabbed her armor and threw it in, glaring at the blue fabric that was supposed to make her life easier. Tala rummaged through a drawer, trying to decide what she needed and what could be left there. She scoffed to herself as she realized that as the CEO of Merlyn Industries she owned the building and didn't need to leave, but Tala didn't want to put the team in danger again. She heard Eobard's chair enter the room.

"Don't worry, I'll be out of here soon," she said, tossing a case of spare arrows into her bag.

"Well, before you shuffle off forever, may I show you something?" Eobard asked. Tala turned, and nodded. She followed him to the trap room, wondering why he brought her there.

"Eobard, why here?" Tala asked. "Why try and use this to convince me to stay?"

"You're incredibly clever, Tala. So you tell me, why did I bring you down here, instead of say, my Time Vault?" Eobard asked, looking at her from his chair.

"Because this was where I made a choice. This was where I first discovered who you were. What you were," Tala trailed off, looking around the room. "And I chose to help you."

"Unless my plan got Cisco hurt," Eobard finished. "You are fairly easy to figure out. Threaten Cisco, or anyone you care about and you fall apart. You didn't fight Snart last time because Caitlin was in danger."

"I can hold my own in a fight against up to seven opponents. But when there's a hostage, especially one I love the way I love Francisco, I can't risk them," Tala said, full of defeat. "Love is a weakness, but unfortunately it's one I have."

"Choosing between two people you love will always be a dilemma," Eobard said.

"Yes. But it's one you won't have to worry about me making again. I'll still help best I can, but I'll do it from my office. If you guys need anything, ask Cisco, he'll be the liaison," Tala said shortly.

"The only thing you proved today, Tala, is that you're human. You are not your father. All you proved today is that you love Cisco. And the reason we all want you to stay, is that we love you too," Eobard said. "Now, I am not a good person, but in many ways, you've shown me what love is."

"Guys, you should get up here," Caitlin's voice came over the intercom.

"Shall we?" Harrison asked. Tala looked at him, nodding. She followed him up to the cortex, where Cisco immediately ran over to pull the assassin into a tight hug.

"The casino wasn't the target," Barry said.

"I wondered why we didn't steal anything," Tala said, frowning. "Then why did we destroy the place?"

"Casino's keep tons of cash on hand to cover their markers, not to mention the money that they make. But if they're under attack, protocol is to relocate the money outside the casino," Caitlin said.

"Leonard prefers a moving target. It takes longer for the police to arrive. Where is it now?" Tala asked, looking over Caitlin's shoulder at the computer screen. She quickly pulled up the location. "Go Barry. I'm sitting the rest of this fight out. I might end up killing him for what he did to Cisco."

Barry smiled and sped away. Tala leaned against Cisco tiredly, not having slept in forty eight hours.

"Are you two really okay?" Caitlin asked. Tala looked at Cisco, who had a bruise on his cheek.

"I think we will be. After some sleep, something to eat. Again, being kidnapped by Leonard Snart doesn't feel well," Tala laughed dryly.

"If Dante is okay, I will be," Cisco said, looking at Tala. "Tala saved us, no matter how much she may blame herself for getting us into the mess. But I do think we need to get home."

"Yeah, I want out of this costume. I should've just made standard League armor, but no, I had to go for something different," Tala rolled her eyes at herself and smiled at Caitlin as the two left the cortex, heading for the garage. They would be taking a Star Labs van home for the night.

"What did Doctor Wells tell you to get you to stay?" Cisco asked as he unlocked their front door. Tala took a moment to run her fingers through her hair before leaning against the wall.

"He told me that he looked to me like a partner, and he didn't want to lose that. He said that you were like a son to him. He asked me to stay because choosing between two people I love is an impossible decision," Tala looked up at Cisco, tired. "It's been a long day. Hopefully we don't have any emergencies tomorrow. Oh, we need to go to Starling next week. Lyla and Johnnie are getting married, again."

Tala laughed and led Cisco up to the bedroom, intending to shower and forget about the troubles of the past few days.


	20. 120 Tricksters

Tala walked into the small room where Lyla was standing, carrying a garment bag and a small pile of boxes. Lyla turned and looked at the assassin questioningly.

"Last time you got married, you two said your vows on the back of an ATV in the desert, in combat boots. I am so hijacking this one. Come on, we still have fifteen minutes until pictures," Tala grinned and opened the bag, showing Lyla a new white dress.

"Sometimes I hate you. But that dress is beautiful," Lyla said, beaming at her friend. "Johnnie isn't going to know what hit him."

"Sure he will. Me if he's ever stupid enough to divorce you again," Tala laughed, helping Lyla out of her old dress and into the new one.

Lyla walked out to where John was waiting to take the pictures while Tala followed carrying Baby Sara. She walked over and stood next to Cisco as the bride and groom were photographed for half an hour. Tala was pulled into some of them, leaving Cisco holding the baby. She laughed as Sara started pulling on Cisco's hair, making him wince.

Tala stood next to John as he greeted some of the guests before the ceremony. Cisco draped his arm around her waist as Oliver walked in.

"You're late, brother," Tala greeted, moving to hug him.

"It's twelve forty-five. The invitation said one. I'm early and I'm never early," Oliver said, pressing a kiss to Tala's cheek.

"Yeah, well," John said, straightening his jacket. "The ceremony is at one. Photos were at noon."

"Photos," Oliver echoed, looking between the groom and the maid of honor.

"Mmhmm. Last time Lyla and I got married, we said our vows on an ATV in the Registan Desert," John said. "This time, she hired a photographer. So yes, Oliver, photos."

"And that whole best man thing, it's more like a - not so good," Oliver said sheepishly.

"No. But that's all right. We'll Photoshop you in," John said. Tala leaned against Cisco, wishing she could've worn a suit. She grinned when Felicity walked in, quickly followed by Ray. "Thanks for coming. I see you brought your plus one."

Felicity pulled Ray forward, smiling.

"Oh, yeah." Ray stuck his hand out to shake. Tala wondered if John was trying to break it as he greeted the billionaire.

"John Diggle," Johnnie pulled Ray into a hug, where Tala heard him whisper, "You hurt her, they'll never find your body. Nice to meet you."

Tala felt her phone go off in Cisco's jacket pocket, so she grabbed it.

"I've got to take this, excuse me," Tala said taking a few steps back. "Lyla?"

"My minister just got deployed to South Sudan," Lyla said. "It was supposed to be Rick. Do you know anyone?"

"Um, if Felicity has a tablet I can do it? I'll ask Johnnie," Tala reassured. She ended the call and walked back to the group, frowning. "That was Lyla. Johnnie, your officiate was just deployed to South Sudan."

"You don't have a minister?" Ollie asked.

"Apparently not," John said, exasperated.

"Okay, what about online certificates? All I need is a good Wi-Fi connection and three minutes," Felicity suggested. "Not that I'd officiate your wedding although I'd be honored if you asked."

"Or you could just ask me," Ray said, causing everyone to look at him. "I'm a minister. It's a long story."

Tala blinked as John sighed and nodded. Oliver and Tala locked eyes and she could feel his annoyance. Tala leaned over and shook Ray's hand.

"Thanks. Now Cisco you need to find your seat, I have to go and get Lyla and Sara," Tala turned to face Cisco, slipping her phone back in his pocket as she kissed him. Tala winked at the engineer as she pulled away, aware of how uncomfortable she made everyone except Ollie who was entirely used to her antics.

Tala stood behind Lyla, holding Sara at the alter. She smiled at her two friends, marrying each other again. She shifted Sara as Ray started talking.

"Normally this is where the officiate would offer words of insight about the couple. Their history. Which is difficult for me because I just met John and Lyla eight minutes ago," Ray said, gaining some laughter from the crowd. Tala met Cisco's eyes from where he was sitting in the second row and wondered if the two of them would ever have their moment at the alter. "And I understand that you both have written your own vows. Which is great, because it gives me less to do."

Oliver stepped forward and handed Johnnie the wedding bands, smiling at the groom. Tala winked at Cisco before returning her attention to her friends.

"You really wanna do this?" Lyla asked, putting the ring on John's finger.

"Hell yes," He answered, pushing Lyla's ring on her finger. "Do you?"

"Even more than the first time," Lyla responded, making Tala smile. Having been at now both of their weddings, she knew how much they loved each other.

"Good, because I'm not letting you get away from me this time," John said.

"I'm holding you to that," Lyla responded.

"Good," John said. "I love you, Lyla."

"I love you too," Lyla responded.

"All right," Ray said. "John Diggle, Lyla Michaels, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Tala beamed as they kissed, before passing Sara to Lyla who was smiling at Johnnie. The crowd applauded, including Cisco who stood, looking at Tala. She smiled at him, moving to take his hand. Cisco kissed her softly before leading her to where someone was pouring the champagne.

"Don't worry, I'll stop you after four glasses," Cisco said, handing her a flute of bubbly.

"You remember that? That was months ago," Tala said, amazed. She took a drink of the bubbly, smiling.

"Of course I remember. I love you, Tala," Cisco said, tilting her chin up to look at him. He had one hand on her waist, gently swaying the two of them back and forth to music they couldn't hear.

"I love you too, Francisco. My Kitten," Tala said. She gently lead the two of them over to Ollie and Laurel, smiling at the newlyweds.

"Beautiful ceremony," Laurel said to Ollie as they approached.

"Beautiful dress," Oliver returned. "Did it come with a cast?"

"I started fighting with a new trainer," Laurel said. "She's... enthusiastic."

"She?" Tala asked, looking at Laurel. "Oh, Cisco, this is Laurel, Laurel, this is my boyfriend, Cisco Ramon."

Cisco looked at Tala with surprise in his eyes. They had never truly defined their relationship, and the fact that she decided to, in front of her family no less was amazing to him. She grinned at him, squeezing him in a side hug.

"Boyfriend?" Oliver asked, looking at Cisco with a look that reminded the engineer that he was facing a killer. He gulped, and tried not to pale.

"Ollie, be nice. Hey Felicity," Tala greeted as the computer hacker walked over.

"Hey Tala, hey Laurel," Felicity greeted, holding Lyla's bouquet.

"Nice bouquet," Laurel said. Felicity held it up, admiring it. Tala raised an eyebrow at it.

"Thanks. I kind of caught it," Felicity said, looking impressed with herself.

"Well done!" Tala and Laurel cheered.

"Thank you," Felicity said. Laurel walked away, spotting someone she knew. "I hope it was okay I brought Ray as my date."

"Ray saved the day," Ollie said.

"I think you two are cute together. All nerdy and the like," Tala said. "He's a good guy, and he clearly cares for you a lot. As long as he continues to make you happy, I won't have to kill him. Are you happy, Felicity?"

"Yes, I am," She said, smiling while looking at Ray across the room. Tala nodded at her friend's happiness. Tala watched as Felicity, John, and Roy's phones all went off. She peered over at the news article on Felicity's phone, before muttering in Arabic. Tala left Cisco there with Oliver and Felicity as she left the building, shaking her head.

Tala knelt on the rooftop, looking down at the concrete underneath her. Ra's Al Ghul stared down at her, filling Tala with worry.

"Al Sa-him has survived my sword. You know the prophecy The'eb Sagheer, the one who survives the sword of Ra's Al Ghul is destined to become Ra's Al Ghul," The Demon's Head stated, his hand resting heavily on her shoulder. Tala nodded slowly, looking up at the man.

"If this is your will, I will not fight against it, or you my Lord," Tala said, keeping emotion out of her voice. "I will await your call to arms against the city of Starling when Al Sa-him takes upon himself your mantle."

Ra's Al Ghul and the assassins that followed him left the roof of the warehouse, vanishing into the night. Tala was left there with Sarab, Nyssa, and Talibah. She looked at the three of them as she stood.

"You know what you must do," Tala said as she walked to the edge of the roof, letting herself fall before catching a zip line shot by Sarab. Tala mounted the motorcycle she stole for the night, heading to Verdant. She slipped down the stairs as Roy was changing into his Arsenal suit.

"Fiji will not wait. You two have to go on your honeymoon, or I swear I'll knock you both out and mail you there," Tala said, causing them all to turn to her. She pushed down the hood of her black League standard armor. Tala grinned at Cisco. "Cisco, you and I need to leave as well. I cannot be in this city."

"We need to get back to the company anyway, but why? Why can't you be here?" Cisco asked.

"Ra's Al Ghul isn't happy Oliver turned down his offer. Actually, unhappy is a major understatement. You will be Ra's Al Ghul, Oliver, the League demands it. If I stay in this city, it will be seen as me going against Ra's' wishes," Tala said, sighing heavily. "Then he will come after me and mine, forcefully. I cannot help you here. Cisco?"

Tala held out her hand, leading Cisco to the door. She stopped and looked back at her friends. Cisco squeezed her hand, pulling her attention back to him. She gave him a sad smile before leading him out of the club, mounting the stolen bike. They raced to the airport, where the Merlyn Jet was waiting for the two of them with Cody and Kyle already boarded.

"New armor, boss?" Cody asked. Tala looked down, having forgotten she was wearing it.

"It's usually best to meet the Demon's Head while wearing League armor. Mine no longer qualifies as that," Tala shrugged and dropped into a seat. She closed her eyes. "Kyle, I need to you cancel any reason for us to be in Starling City for the foreseeable future - I can't be there, not until this prophecy gets figured out."

"Prophecy?" Cisco asked. "Those things actually exist?"

"To an extent. The League has one that we tend to take as law. He who survives the sword of Ra's Al Ghul, will become Ra's Al Ghul. My brother survived his sword," Tala sighed, bracing herself as the plane started taking off. "Ra's is determined for Al Sa-him to become Ra's al Ghul. There's nothing I can do to prevent that."

Tala walked into the cortex waving to Caitlin who looked up at the sound of her footsteps.

"What do you mean Kasnia? I booked you two a week in Fiji!" Tala asked her phone, tossing a bag down on her chair. Cisco walked in carrying takeout for them all, with Cody and Kyle following behind with a box of files and folders.

"A senator is being held hostage in Kasnia, Task Force X has been called in. There's nothing we can do about it," John said on the other end of the phone. "We should be in and out in two days. Then we can go to Fiji."

"Just be safe. Your honeymoon should be spent wrapped in sheets and your wife," Tala said, shaking her head. "I'll extend the reservation. Just, make sure everyone gets home."

Tala ended the call and shook her head, looking at Cody with exasperation.

"Bad day boss?" He asked, grinning. Tala groaned and shuffled over to Cisco, hitting her head against his shoulder. Cisco wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her.

"I don't get paid enough to deal with this shit!" She complained. Cody, Kyle, Caitlin and Cisco stared at her for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Tala, love, you make millions every other day. I think you get paid plenty," Cisco said, smiling. He frowned as Tala suddenly straightened and pulled away from him. "What's wrong?"

"Cody, you and Kyle get back to the office. I think our day just got worse," Tala said, holding her hands out as if she were trying to keep her balance. Harrison wheeled himself into the cortex, looking at Tala in confusion.

"What is she doing?" Harrison asked the PA. Kyle shrugged, but put the box down on the desk in front of him.

"There was a bomb, or multiple. Kyle, make sure Merlyn Industries funds whatever repairs are needed. Cody, keep him safe," Tala said opening her eyes. They glowed blue with her powers.

"How can you know that?" Harrison asked as the two men left for the garage.

"I feel vibrational energy Harrison. I felt the earth shake when it exploded," Tala said, shaking her head. "Whatever it is it's over."

Barry flashed in, Joe in tow. They greeted Cisco and Tala, before Barry turned on the news.

"Tricked ya! Look who's back. My tricks, my treat, but I'll give you something good to eat," the man on the screen said. "Today's special: a city in ashes. The trickster proudly welcomes you all to the new... disorder."

"Talking in the third person, that's never a good sign," Cisco said, looking warily at the video footage.

"You're just mad because he named himself," Caitlin said. Tala snickered.

"Actually, he didn't," Joe said. Tala turned toward him in confusion. "Twenty years ago, Central City was hit by a series of terrorist attacks. One man killed at least ten civilians, and two cops. That guy called himself the Trickster."

Tala stole Cisco's keyboard to look up the original Trickster. She was assaulted by images of a man covered in neon.

"Woah. Someone was rocking the unitard," Tala exclaimed. "James Jesse was his name, apparently."

"Like Jesse James, only more twisted," Joe said.

"So the guy became a nutbar because his name was a pun? Jeez..." Tala muttered. "And I thought I took my name too seriously."

"Where is this Mister Jesse now?" Harrison asked.

"Prison. Iron Heights specifically. No chance of parole," Tala read out from his arrest record.

"He was just about the most dangerous thing Central City had ever seen," Joe said.

"You mean, until the particle accelerator blew up," Barry said, glaring ahead of him. Tala arched an eyebrow, wondering what was going on with the speedster. She felt Harrison's energy spike defensively.

"Barry, why don't you and Joe go chat with the original psycho at the prison. I'll stay here with Cisco and Cait and spearhead the search for the new crazy," Tala said, cutting in. The assassin caught Joe's eye and tapped her phone, silently asking him what was going on. He nodded, glancing between Barry and Harrison. The two of them left, leaving only three minutes until her phone went off.

Joe: _Barry thinks Wells might be the man in yellow. Bridges, a reporter from CCPN just went missing after digging into Star Labs. Can I count on you?_

Tala looked around the room, watching Cisco work on sourcing the video while Caitlin smiled at a text message from Ronnie. She glanced at Eobard who was moving himself back to his office, completely unconcerned. Tala watched Cisco for a moment, wondering how he would react if he discovered she knew Harrison's secret.

Me: _I'm in._

Tala grabbed her tablet and started working on stuff for her company. She needed to work up a fundraiser for the police force - as she'd never gotten around to the one she planned months ago due to Oliver's visit and the rebranding of her company.

Tala sent the beginnings of a project to Kyle who would finish it for her. She looked up at Cisco's shout of triumph.

"I found the Trickster's vlog!" He exclaimed as he dialed Barry's number. "Yo! This trickster guy just posted a vlog, you gotta see this. I'm sending you the link right now."

Tala moved to stand behind Cisco, barely noticing that Harrison had re-entered the cortex. She reached over and turned the volume up to listen to the video from the bomber.

"Denizens of Central City, or those of you who remain," The trickster greeted. "Welcome to Boom Day! Ha-ha-ha! I'm very proud to report that my first trick was an exploding success. But I think you all deserve, something much... uh, bigger."

"I hate to say it," Tala whispered to Cisco, snickering slightly. "But I really like his jacket."

"So for my next trick, you'll have to keep your eyes glued to this website! Because what the Trickster has planned for you all, Ladies and Gentlemen, will be a blast!" Tala frowned at the screen, apprehensive as to what the nut job of the week had planned.

"Bigger? Is this guy gonna blow a hole in the city or something?" Cisco asked, glancing between Harrison and Tala. Both of them gave Cisco confused shrugs. Tala pulled out her phone and called Cody.

"Hey boss, you need a ride?" He greeted.

"No, I wanted to make sure you and Kyle were safe," Tala said.

"Does this have to do with the explosions this morning? Kyle's been putting together a relief fund, and I think he's already redesigned the playground that got destroyed," Cody said fondly. Tala could picture him shaking his head at her PA. "Also, the mayor's office called; they want to know if you're going to hold a fundraiser for the first responders fund? And the DA is wanting to know what to do about the charges for this Trickster."

"Hold on, what?" Tala asked, scrunching up her face in confusion. "Why is everyone calling me now? Even in Starling I didn't get this much attention from politics."

Cisco and Caitlin turned to look at Tala who was frowning at the air in front of her. Harrison looked up interestedly.

"I dunno, boss. All I know is because of the money you're throwing around like it's water, people are asking for your opinion," Cody said. "Congrats, you're a mob boss now. I think you have more power than the Santini's do, not that you didn't before, but when the DA turns against the Santini family... Anything I should do?"

Tala looked at Cisco, thinking for a moment. She knew having this power was a good thing, the DA's office wouldn't blink at her if her identity became public knowledge if she owned them. Having more power than the Santini family wasn't surprising, they did just get attacked by Snart and his rogues, with her help. Tala scoffed, thinking about the warrant out for the woman with the sword.

"Why don't you and Kyle go check over the branch in National City. Have the mayor call me, and the DA, I can work with them and push things where I want them," Tala said, thinking out loud. "They won't arrest me for being the woman in blue, or the psycho with the sword that worked with Snart one and two last week, especially if they work for me. I'll call in some favors and get the Santini's to move out of town."

Tala ended the call and turned as Barry and Joe walked back into the cortex. She gave them an absent minded greeting, reaching for her coffee mug.

"Tala, everything alright? That phone call sounded interesting," Harrison asked, looking at the bewildered assassin.

"Cisco, apparently you're Carmela now," Tala said, shaking her head.

"Cisco's a woman?" Barry asked confused. Caitlin laughed.

"I think Tala meant Carmela from _The Godfather_ ," Cisco said, making Tala nod. "Why am I the wife of a mob boss?"

"Because apparently I own half of Central City," Tala said, shrugging. "The mayor and the DA have called me for advice today. Which totally makes me Vito. And since we're dating, you're Carmela."

Caitlin looked at the engineers, not expecting them to have labeled their relationship. Tala ran her fingers through her hair, turning back to their Trickster problem as Barry came back to the Cortex.

"Barry, hi!" Tala greeted, overly enthusiastic. "The video was posted a few hours ago - that might've been what prompted the political shift, actually."

"Whoever this Trickster is, he's certainly not shy," Harrison said.

"Not every criminal likes to hide in the dark," Barry said, prompting warning looks from Tala and Joe.

"Cisco, can you trace where this video was posted from?" Joe asked, quickly shifting the attention from Barry's attitude to the engineer.

"I tried, but this guy is using some crazy, Felicity-caliber scrambler, like I've never seen," Cisco said, flashing the team an apologetic smile. "The origin of the upload is coming from hundreds of different locations. Until he uploads another video, it's gonna be tough."

"This psychopath has the capability to destroy the city," Barry said.

"Hey, I'm running an algorithm, using the locations the video claims to be uploaded from and the information Star Labs, Palmer Tech, and Merlyn Industries' satellite are feeding us. We will get a location, then you and I can punch him in the face," Tala soothed, tempted to drag Barry out of the room and yell at him. "I'm also physically exhausting myself searching for the vibrations of any type of explosive in the city."

"Barry, we'll catch him," Caitlin reassured. "We always do."

"Mister Allen," Harrison said. "A word please?"

Tala made eye contact with Joe, before jerking her head in the direction of her office. He nodded and followed her there.

"Barry is going to blow this investigation up before we get anything solid if he's not careful," Tala hissed. "He needs to learn to control his irritation before I lobotomize him to control it for him."

"Trust me, I know. He's determined to nail his mom's killer, and he thinks it is Wells," Joe said, rubbing his hand down his face. "Have you found anything?"

"Nothing I can prove. Harrison emits the same vibrational energy Barry does. It's ridiculously fast, and I would accuse him of being a speedster, even the man in the yellow, but I can't without proof," Tala lied. "I don't think he's paralyzed though. I've been asking Cisco and Cait about what happened after the explosion. Harrison was in the chair when they found me. If he had any spinal damage, he would've been in the hospital for weeks after the explosion."

"You have a hunch, don't you?" Joe asked. Tala nodded hesitantly.

"Nora was killed by a speedster, and a future version of Barry was there. When we had the Reverse-Flash trapped, he said they'd been enemies for ages. I think... I think the Reverse-Flash is pulling a River Song and his timeline is backwards from Barry's," Tala said. Joe gave her a blank look, not understanding. "We know Barry will time travel, eventually. He's already done it, last week he ran so fast he went back in time a full day. What if Barry and the Reverse-Flash were fighting, chasing each other and they ran so fast they ended up going back in time to the night of Nora's murder."

"Then where is the future Barry? Shouldn't he be around here too?" Joe asked. Tala grinned at him.

"The tachyons were stolen. Those are only good for power and, if used really carefully, explosives. Big ones," Tala said, leaning against her desk. "I think the reason the Reverse-Flash is still here is because his fight with future Barry drained him of his speed. He's been stuck here for the past fifteen years. He might have even sabotaged the accelerator to create the Flash."

"Which still points to Wells. But the blood didn't match his. The other speedster is AB negative, Wells is B positive," Joe said. Tala shrugged.

"It's just a theory. I've got my feelers out and about, don't worry about it. I'll find something," Tala said as she pulled her vibrating phone out of her waistband.

E: _Drinks tonight? -E_

Tala visibly sagged reading the text, wondering what the hell the speedster wanted. She went to respond, but was interrupted by a phone call. She sighed and left the room with Joe following behind her as she answered.

"Merlyn."

"Miss Merlyn, hello. My name is Anna, I'm the deputy mayor here in Central City," The woman on the other end greeted. "We in City Hall were wondering if you were doing anything to help restore this city in light of the recent terror attack? Or if you were going to help raise money to replace the damaged playground."

"Anna, my company and I are in the process of drafting an entirely new playground to replace not just the damaged equipment, but the entire park," Tala said, rolling her eyes while putting a false smile on her face. Cisco flashed her a sympathetic grin as he handed her a fresh mug of coffee. "In addition to that, I am working closely with the DA's office to find and arrest the so called Trickster. If the mayor's office thinks it necessary, I will release a press statement on the matter."

"Thank you so much, miss Merlyn. It is absolutely wonderful to hear that an upstanding member of society such as yourself is helping this city so intensively." Tala blinked as the call ended abruptly.

"Koneko, I think I just agreed to hold another press conference," Tala said, dropping into her chair. "I don't wanna be freaking Vito. This is absurd. Now in addition to running a company, and helping Barry, I have to run a city? This is complete f-"

"The Trickster posted another video!" Cisco cut Tala off before she could start swearing. He reached over and turned on the mic to Barry's comms. "Heads up, the Trickster's broadcasting again."

Tala took a deep breath and walked over to stand behind Cisco and watch the video.

"Get ready for the games to begin!" The Trickster cheered as the video started. "I have a bomb. It's a big bomb, it'll make a big bang, and then a big hole, and then a big drop... in the population."

Tala clenched her fist, tightening her grip on Cisco's shirt. She pushed her powers outward, scanning for any shift in the vibrational energy in the city that would indicate an explosive. Her eyes turned blue as tendrils curled around Tala, stretching and retracting. Cisco winced as Tala's suddenly sharp nails dug into his shoulder.

"But never say the Trickster is not fair. The bomb is somewhere between 52nd Street, and Avenue B. Find it before midnight and you win!" The Trickster laughed. Tala sprinted out of the cortex, pulling for her armor as she ran down the stairs to the garage where her motorcycle was waiting for her. She kicked it to life and sped to the center of the area the Trickster specified. Tala stood with her arms outstretched, pushing her powers around her, trying to find the explosive.

"Guys, I can't find it!" Barry shouted through his comms. "I need your help."

"I'm searching too. I can't find any abnormal vibrations," Tala's voice came, overlapping itself.

"There's nothing on traffic cams or CCTV," Caitlin said from the cortex.

"I retasked our satellites to scan the area for incendiary devices," Cisco said. "A bomb that large should be giving off a thermal or chemical signature."

"Then why can't you find it?" Barry asked.

"Because it's not here," Tala realized. "It's a distraction. Why would the Trickster want to distract us, tie us up here?"

"It has to be, I'm gonna keep looking," Barry said. Tala pushed her powers outside of the boundary, sweeping all of Central City for a bomb signature.

"That is what he wants, you and the police to keep running in circles. There is something else going on," Harrison said. "I can feel it, trust me."

"I'm gonna keep looking," Barry said. Tala huffed and pushed her awareness out further. She could feel the cars driving around the city; the fish in the river and the people around her. She felt the police pull into the area, and Barry running around. Tala stopped, focusing on the speedster as he stopped.

"Barry found it," Tala said. She hesitated, feeling a small explosion outside of the city. "Cisco, what just exploded?"

"You could feel that? Damn girl. Iron Heights," Cisco said.

"This was all a diversion," Harrison said.

"The prison was his real target," Caitlin concluded.

"James Jesse," Harrison sighed. "I guess he's tricked us all."

Tala pulled her powers back to her, lowering her awareness as Barry called Joe. She stumbled slightly, leaning against the wall of the building behind her.

"You're the blue vigilante!" An officer shouted as he rounded the corner, spotting her. She turned, surprise written across her face. The officer caught her jaw with a right cross, sending her to the ground. Tala blacked out as her head hit the concrete.

Tala woke up, handcuffed to Eddie Thawne's desk. Her hood and mask were still on. She groaned as she opened her eyes, her vision swimming slightly. Tala knew she had a concussion.

"Good morning, miss Arrow," The officer's voice came from her left. Tala tilted her head to look at him and realized her comms were still on. "Why don't you tell us who you are?"

"Officer Daly, you should let me go. I have powerful friends," Tala said, her voice still distorted with her powers, her eyes glowing a frigid blue. She tilted her head again, listening to Joe through her comms.

"We were able to identify the other Trickster," he said. Tala assumed that her mic was muted. "His name's Axel Walker, age twenty five. Apparently him and James have been corresponding through snail mail for over a decade."

Tala leaned forward to press the unmute button on her choker, so she could alert the team to her issue.

"I should've been there," Barry said sadly, Tala's bugs just barely picking up his voice.

"Powerful friends or not, you're wanted for murder. Captain Singh will be here any minute," Daly said, glaring at her. "You stay put now."

Tala ground her teeth, focusing back on the conversation happening back at the cortex.

"We're gonna find your dad, okay?" Caitlin reassured Barry.

"Hey, can you guys find me first?" Tala asked, spooking the team, judging from Cisco's startled scream. "I may or may not have gotten arrested last night. Joe, there's an Officer Daly here with some grudge against me - why?"

"Officer Daly lost his sister in the Undertaking. He probably blames you for your father's actions," Joe said. Tala snorted.

"I'm wearing too much blue for him to blame my last name," Tala deadpanned.

"He caught you in your armor?" Cisco asked, panic in his voice. "How?"

"I was exhausted from searching the freaking city!" Tala hissed, dropping her voice to a whisper as Captain Singh walked toward her. "I'm going to do something stupid, wish me luck."

"So you are the famed and feared blue vigilante from Starling City," David Singh greeted. "Why are you in my City? Why haven't we had a body count yet?"

"David Singh, Captain here at CCPD," Tala greeted, looking up at him, knowing he didn't recognize her under the hood and mask. It helped that her voice was distorted and her eyes were blue. "It's been awhile since we spoke last. Clear the room so we can talk. No other cops, no camera, no bugs. Shut them all down, or I'll do it for you."

David looked at her, wondering if she could. She was handcuffed to the desk, and stripped of the multitude of weapons she carried on her person.

"No. You're wanted by the state, and the federal government," David said, confident she couldn't get out.

Tala laughed a cold, dry laugh as she stood from the chair, rolling her shoulders, showing that the cuffs didn't hold her anymore. She didn't even blink as every cop in the room trained their guns on her. Tala looked back at Captain Singh expectantly.

"Everyone clear out! Now, that's an order!" He barked, waving his hand to the force, getting them to holster their weapons. Tala smirked. "You, in my office."

Tala mock bowed and led the way, drawing the blinds, blocking the view from outside while David disabled the cameras and listening devices. When Tala was certain they were alone, she looked at the Captain as he leaned against his desk.

"I have a very important fundraiser this evening I need to be at. Mayor Bellows is counting on my support, I also need to help the Flash help you catch the Trickster and his son, Axel," Tala said, crossing her arms.

"How do you know about Axel?" Singh asked.

"I work with the Flash. Before that, I worked with the Arrow in Starling, before that I was in the League of Assassins. There isn't much I don't know David," Tala said, laughing. She lowered her hood, revealing her trademark blue stripe of hair; she pulled her mask off, smiling at David's blank look.

"Merlyn?" David questioned, blinking rapidly in surprise. "You're the blue vigilante?"

"Is that really that surprising? I expected more people to have figured this out by now," Tala shrugged, replacing her mask and hood. "I've stopped killing, and Starling is mostly convinced they mass hallucinated the blue vigilante. There aren't any warrants for my arrest. Am I free to go, Captain?"

Tala regarded the captain as he studied her. She knew he wouldn't tell anyone who she was. And if he did, she could make sure David would vanish. He knew that too, the wariness noticeable in his eyes.

"Yes. I won't tell anyone who you are. You've been protecting this city, with minimal casualties. As long as you help us, instead of going rogue, your secret is safe with me," David said, holding his hand out for her to shake. "Should you turn against the people of my city though, everyone will know who you are."

"I will always protect those I love, David. Don't worry about that," Tala said, shaking his hand. "I just hope I can count on you, if I need your help?"

David nodded to the assassin as she turned and started strapping her weapons to her suit. She turned to face him with a smirk.

"By the way, Captain, you and your boys missed about seven knives, and my back up bow. And my powers," Tala laughed as she opened the door, walking out of the precinct with a smile. The police force hovered near the elevator, Tala growled out at them as they parted, shrinking back in fear.

"Enough! She has been nothing but helpful to this city. She will be an honorary member of this police force, until she warrants arresting," Captain Singh said, causing the police to disperse. "Here is your badge. Don't make me regret this."

Tala smiled in surprise and left the precinct, unmuting her comms device.

"Hey, Barry, can you come get me? I'm outside CCPD," Tala asked. She grinned as the speedster appeared and picked her up to take her back to Star Labs. She lowered her hood as Barry sat her down in her chair. "That was fun."

Cisco hugged her, before swatting her arm.

"What the hell happened? You just vanished!" Cisco exclaimed. "You were helping Barry search for the bomb, but you never came home, and you never answered your phone! I thought your father had gotten you!"

"I am curious as well as to what happened," Harrison said, looking at her. His energy was anxious.

"Officer Daly saw me after I stopped searching. He caught me by surprise with a decent cross. I hit the ground and was out cold," Tala explained, pulling her mask off before pushing her suit back to her gym. "I woke up cuffed to Eddie's desk this morning. Thankfully, no one was able to take off my mask, due to my powers. I spoke to Singh and told him who I was. He apparently likes me, so instead of arresting me for murder, he made me a consultant thing for the police force. I got a badge and everything."

"Captain Singh gave you a badge?" Joe asked, staring at her in surprise. Tala held it up with a smile.

"I want a badge," Cisco said, passing Tala his cup of coffee. She thanked him with a kiss.

"I want a shower. I'm going to head home and get ready for this annoying fundraiser thing I have to do for the Mayor. Time to go be Vito. You sure you don't want to come Cisco?" Tala asked, looking at him hopefully. He shook his head.

"No, I will stay here and help Barry find his dad. But I will drive you home since Cody is still in National City. Do you want me to drop you off at the fundraiser?" Cisco asked, standing and pulling Tala to her feet.

"I think I'll manage. I hired a car already."

Tala walked into City Hall, where a man offered her a glass of champagne. She smiled at him, wondering if he'd worked a function she'd been at before. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear it of her inbred paranoia. Tala walked over to Mayor Bellows, where she was greeted by him and the deputy, Anna.

"Miss Merlyn, how wonderful to finally meet you in person!" Anna gushed, giving the appearance of an intern, rather than a professional.

"Miss Merlyn, I want to thank you for helping fund my re-election campaign. Anything you need from me, just let me know and I will help you in any way I can," Mayor Bellows said, holding out a hand for her to shake. Tala did so, smiling at him generously.

"Mayor Bellows, I simply want what is best for Central City, and you have proven to be a steady hand at the reins," Tala said, trying to ingrain herself as an ally as best she could. "My company is working hard to ensure that the park that was attacked the other day is completely restored. We would like this to be a gift to the city."

"That is very generous of you Miss Merlyn," Bellows said, taking a sip of his champagne. Tala's drink was still untouched. Tala saw Iris enter the building and waved her over.

"Please, call me Tala, all this Miss Merlyn business just serves to remind my board that I'm still unmarried," Tala laughed.

"Then you must call me Anthony," The mayor replied.

"Anthony then. Anthony, this is my friend Iris West, her father is a Detective at CCPD, and she is a reporter. Iris, you look lovely," Tala said, wrapping her arm around Iris' waist. Iris took a drink of her champagne as the mayor offered his hand for her to shake.

"Welcome, welcome, Central City's finest!" Tala looked up to see two of the wait staff standing at the podium. "How about a toast, to Mayor Anthony Bellows! He doesn't just yell at his staff, he Bellows! You see what I did there? With the word play and the... ugh, tough crowd."

Tala watched in confusion as Anthony walked up to the podium to confront the comedic waiter. She would've fired the man if he worked for her.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Anthony asked, covering the microphone.

"How quickly they forget," he said, leaning over to the younger one. "James Jesse your honor!"

Tala closed her eyes and sighed in frustration, annoyed that her night off was ruined.

"A.k.a, the Trickster!" He finished, messing up his hair. Tala groaned and reached up to turn on her comms.

"Bored with the politicians already?" Cisco laughed as he noticed.

"And I'm here to relieve you people from all your money. Because we know, if you're in this room, you've got loads of it," James said as Axel pulled out a semi-automatic.

"Not bored, tonight just got exciting. Too exciting," Tala whispered, knowing it would transmit.

"What do you mean?" Cisco asked.

"Turn up the sensitivity of my mic. Tell the Flash to suit up, Iris and I are in a bit of a tight spot," Tala whispered. Iris looked over at her.

"You know the Flash?" Iris asked. Tala stared at her.

"Is now really the time to ask that?" Tala hissed, glaring at the Tricksters.

"What makes you think that anyone in this room would give you a cent?" Anthony asked. Tala thought that it was an excellent question.

"Because, that champagne they slurped down like so much fruit punch," James said, making Tala glance at her glass. She was suddenly glad she hadn't drank any yet. "I added something a little special to it. Trimethylmercury-32. Poison!"

"Koneko, tell Thalaj to start working up an antidote, that shit kills in an hour," Tala hissed under her breath, reaching over and grabbing Iris, who nodded slightly, indicating she had drank some of it. "Damn, make it fast, I didn't drink any, but Iris did."

"You didn't drink champagne? Are you sick?" Cisco asked.

"Kitten, focus!" Tala hissed.

"Without the antidote, you'll begin to feel the effects in, oh, um," James trailed off.

"One hour!" Axel announced. Tala turned as she heard someone start choking. The man fell to his knees, foam in his mouth.

"I remember you," the Trickster said. "You got to the party about an hour early. I offered you the very first glass of champagne."

"Thalaj, is there anything I can do for him?" Tala asked, watching the man choke.

"No, I haven't finished the antidote yet. I'm working as fast as I can," Caitlin said. Tala nodded, as if it was what she expected.

"An hour is plenty of time for all of you to call your bankers and transfer everything you have to the account number, on the bottom of your glass," The Trickster said. "Once my young friend and I are rich, you'll get the antidote. And if any of you decide to call 911 instead, we'll switch to lead poisoning."

Tala pushed her powers out, trying to see if the Tricksters had anything planned, other than the poison. She found something that Axel was holding, but she couldn't identify the energy of it.

"How many of you can feel the trimethylmercury-32 coursing through your veins?" James asked as he wandered around the crowd. He stopped in front of Iris and straightened his bow tie.

"Well hello. You know, I've been in prison for twenty years," James tried to flirt. Tala wrapped her arm protectively around the reporter.

"Then you'll know the routine when you get sent back," Iris said shortly. Tala felt the energy in the room shift as Barry ran in. Tala pulled Iris backwards to give Barry more room. The Flash grabbed the Trickster and ran, slamming him against the wall.

"Where's Henry Allen?" Barry shouted. Tala rolled her eyes at the speedster's single-mindedness.

"He's where you'll be soon. Heaven!" James said, making Tala frown. It didn't make sense to kill the hostage. Axel walked over and strapped something on Barry's wrist. Tala felt the energy she couldn't identify coming off of it.

"Are you familiar with the movie _Speed_?" Axel asked. "Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock?"

"See, you're the bus and that's the bomb," James said, and Tala's eyes widened. She saw that movie with Cisco. "A kinetic bomb actually. If you go below six hundred miles an hour, it'll explode! Same thing happens if you try to remove it."

"Run, Sarie!" Tala shouted, Barry turned and ran. Tala shook her head, glancing at the clock on her phone. They had another forty minutes before they started dropping like flies.

"Cisco?" Barry shouted as he ran.

"He wasn't lying, that thing's linked to a speedometer. And it will blow if you stop moving," Cisco said. Tala thought about pulling for her armor, but with both Tricksters carrying guns she couldn't risk it.

"Well, I can't run forever!" Barry said.

"I can try and take down the Tricksters, but I can't do anything without a cure," Tala said, watching the men who poisoned everyone. "Thalaj, where are you with the antidote?"

"Nearly there. But we need Barry to run it over to you," Caitlin said. "Is there any way to get the bomb off of him without damaging it?"

"Barry do you see any walls nearby?" Harrison asked.

"Why?" Barry questioned, confused.

"Because I need you to run into one. Or, more accurately, through one." Harrison said.

"What?" Tala asked in unison with Cisco and Caitlin.

"If you vibrate at the natural frequency of air, your body, your cells will be in a state of excitement," Harrison explained. "It should allow you to phase right through that wall. Leaving the bomb on the other side."

Tala remembered Eobard vibrating his hand, threatening her when she first confronted him. That must have been what he was going to do. Phase himself through her chest, destroying her heart.

"Should?" Barry said skeptically.

"You can do this Sarie. I believe in you," Tala said.

"I can't," Barry said, doubting himself.

"Listen to me, Barry. Breathe," Harrison said. Tala stared at the two Tricksters, watching them as she pulled for her powers. She could feel the tendrils wrapping around her legs, trying to bring her armor to her. "Breathe, feel the air. Feel that wind on your face. Feel the ground, your feet lifting you up, pushing you forward. And the lightning. Barry, feel the lightning. Feel its power, its electricity pumping through your veins. Crackling through you, travelling to every nerve in your body like a shock. You're no longer you now. You're part of something greater. You're part of a Speed Force. It's yours. Now do it."

Tala held her breath and closed her eyes, feeling the vibrations of the city. She felt Barry's energy accelerate, before it stopped, and then the explosion.

"How?" Barry asked, astonished. Tala let out a sigh, a smile on her face.

"Barry?" Caitlin asked, worried.

"Oh that felt weird!" Barry said.

"He's alright, Thalaj. Sarie, go get the antidote and fix these people. I'm going to take down the Tricksters," Tala said as she pulled her armor to her. She winked at Iris who was staring at her, her jaw hanging open. Tala jumped forward, pulling out her bow staff and going for Axel as Barry ran into the room. She struck the younger man across the face knocking him to the ground, unconscious. Barry stopped at the podium, staring at James, who was sandwiched between the two Metas. Tala pulled her sword out and rested it against the Trickster's neck, making sure he didn't move.

"Don't worry, you've all been given an antidote. You will all be fine," Barry shouted over the crowd.

"Now where's Henry Allen? You can answer, and live. Or you can move, and die," Tala growled, keeping her blade steady.

"A warehouse, just outside of the city," James said. Tala nodded to Barry, who ran off to rescue his dad.

"For those of you who already sent the money to the account, don't worry, I will personally make sure it ends up back with you," Tala shouted, looking out over the people.

"And who are you for us to trust?" Mayor Bellows asked, looking at the vigilante. Tala sighed, and knew she didn't want to announce her identity, she'd kept it hidden too long. "You're holding a sword to a man's neck after bludgeoning the other!"

"Axel Walker is unconscious. He'll wake up with a nasty headache, but that is all. I have been working with the Flash to protect this city," Tala said, wondering if she would be able to get out of there without saying her name.

"You're a protector, a Haven for the city, not a criminal," Cisco said from the cortex. Tala smiled. "Haven. For the people, for the city, and for me."

"My name is Haven, Mayor Bellows, for that is what I am. A haven for the city, and for the ones I love," Tala said, standing proudly. She sheathed her sword and pushed James forward, tossing the sleeping Axel over her shoulder. "Good luck on your re-election Mayor. I'll vote for you."

Tala shoved James forward, guiding him out the door where Singh was waiting with Eddie and Joe. Joe took James, cuffing him before throwing him into the backseat of the cruiser. Tala shrugged Axel off her shoulder and sat him next to his father.

"Captain," Tala greeted, smiling. "Joe, Eddie."

"You know who I am?" Eddie asked, staring at the assassin apprehensively. Tala and Joe laughed at his face. "How do you know who I am?"

"Because, Eddie, we're friends," Tala said, laughing at the nervous cop. "Now, I have a boyfriend I need to kiss. I'll see you guys later."

"Haven!" Singh called, causing her to turn. "Henry Allen?"

"Will be returned to Iron Heights. I'll make sure of it," Tala grinned as she pulled her hood back up. She started walking before she spotted Cody's car around the corner. Tala climbed in the backseat and pushed her armor away, blinking at Kyle's presence.

"We came back early. You need to realize that a bomb threat won't keep us out of the way," Kyle said, scolding the billionaire.

"Can you not lecture your boss on wanting her employees safe?" Tala asked, running her fingers through her hair. "I just wanna go to bed."

Cody took her home, knowing Cisco was already there. She thanked him before walking into her house, sighing in exhaustion as she crossed the threshold.

"Are you ever going to stop getting into dangerous situations?" Cisco asked from the couch. Tala walked over and dropped herself onto his lap.

"Are you ever going to stop being adorable?" Tala replied, kissing him softly.

"Not as long as you wear blue," Cisco said. He stood, carrying Tala up to the bedroom. She started pulling at the zipper on the back of her dress as Cisco shut the bedroom door.

"Then you're going to be adorable forever," Tala said, stepping out of her dress. She grabbed Cisco and walked backward, laying down on the bed.

"Wow, half of this stuff didn't even exist when I was practicing," Henry said as he looked around the cortex.

"Yeah, well, I'd be happy to give you a crash course on all of it if you get out," Cisco said. Tala just laughed, happy to see Barry smiling. Henry turned and faced Cisco, who suddenly got nervous. "I'm gonna shut up now."

"That's okay," Henry reassured. Caitlin walked over.

"Doctor Allen?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm feeling the need to give you a hug," Caitlin said.

"Absolutely! I will always accept a hug," Henry said. He hugged her, before Tala hopped up to get next in line. She hugged him fiercely, trying to remember the last time a father figure hugged her.

"Thank you for raising an amazing son, Henry," Tala said, smiling at him. Henry walked over to Barry, looking at the Flash suit.

Tala wrapped her arms around Cisco and smiled, happy to have the job done. She would help Joe and Barry get Eobard, then hopefully he'd be put down without revealing that she knew. She didn't think she would ever be forgiven for that.

"Actually, you are all heroes in my book," Henry said. "Especially you Doctor Wells. Thank you for everything you've done for my son."

"Well your son is an extraordinary young man, Doctor Allen," Harrison said while Tala tried not to laugh at the irony. "And I will do everything in my power to ensure Barry's future."

Henry walked over to Barry, pulling him into a tight hug, before walking over to Joe. He held his wrists out.

"It's time, Joe," Henry said. Tala laughed.

"That's actually my job, not his," Tala said, pulling her armor. She walked over and offered the man her elbow, enjoying the bemused look on his face. "I promised Singh I'd bring you in. I can't pass that over to Joe. Cisco, I'll be back later."

Tala walked Henry out of the building, smiling at Cody who opened the door to the backseat. They drove in silence back to the precinct, where Haven handed Henry over to Captain Singh. Joe caught her arm as she left, pressing a piece of paper into her hand. She read it in the backseat, on her way back to the Labs.

 _Be here tonight. We're pulling Eddie in. -JW_

Tala smiled as she set the paper on fire, getting rid of the evidence that would put her at odds with Eobard. She sighed, looking out the window, wondering how this would play out. When Oliver found out she knew about the undertaking, he refused to speak to her for months. If Cisco discovered that she knew about the Reverse-Flash, Tala didn't know what would happen.

Tala shook her head as she slipped out the bedroom door. She smiled, thinking about the casual afternoon she spent at Star Labs, working on stuff for her company. Tala pulled her armor on as she waited for Barry to come get her. He ran up and scooped her into his arms, running them both to the precinct. They waited in the shadows of Barry's lab.

"Hi, Joe," Eddie greeted his partner, who was looking out the window. "Desk sergeant said you were looking for me."

"Hey, yeah, um," Joe stuttered, looking unsure. "Sit down. It's about Iris. She's looking into Mason Bridge's disappearance. We can't let that happen."

Tala raised her eyebrow at Barry, wondering when he was going to tell her about that. He looked at her and shrugged. They walked into the room, Barry running to make a sound. Eddie turned and looked at them, surprise written across his face.

"Detective," Barry greeted. Tala wiggled her fingers at him, grinning under her hood. The Metahumans shared a look before Barry took off his cowl, and Tala lowered her hood, removing her mask. Eddie stood from his chair, staring at them blankly.

"Eddie, we need your help," Tala said, looking at him. "Mason Bridge was looking into a, shall we say, person of interest. The fact that he suddenly vanished is making things incredibly clear that this person is dangerous, and willing to commit felonies."

"You need to convince her that he's off somewhere doing anything but being dead," Barry said, looking at the blond detective. "If she keeps digging into this, she could end up dead too."

"Who is the person of interest Mason was looking into?" Eddie asked.

"Harrison Wells. We have very good reason to believe he is the Reverse-Flash," Tala said, pulling her phone out. "Damn, Barry, you need to run me home. I have an... Issue I need to take care of."

"Everything okay, Tala?" Joe asked, looking at the assassin.

"A friend is in my living room, and Cisco doesn't realize I'm not in the house. Sarie?" Tala waved to Eddie as Barry ran her back to her house. He ran off as Tala pushed her armor away and slipped through the shadows to her living room.

"Talibah," Tala greeted. "What brings you back to Central City?"

"Ra's al Ghul has a request for you. And a warning," Talibah said, sadness showing through her normally impassive eyes.

"You are making me nervous, what could possibly be so bad that even you are saddened by it?" Tala asked, reaching out to take Talibah's hand.

"If Oliver Queen does not accept his offer to become Ra's al Ghul, Oliver will be given an offer he cannot refuse," she paused, looking beseechingly at Tala. "The life of Thea for the Demon's Head ring."

Tala sat down on the couch, her knees shaking and unable to support her. Talibah knelt before her, holding the Metahuman's hands within her own.

"When?" Tala asked, feeling tears roll down her cheeks.

"A month," The assassin whispered, pain filling her voice.

"And the request?" Tala asked, brokenly. She stared past Talibah, not really comprehending what she was being told.

"Stay out of Starling, and Nanda Parbat until there is a new Ra's al Ghul. For your safety," she said. Talibah rose and left through the backdoor, leaving Tala sitting there crying.

Tala walked up to Cisco's bedroom, still crying. She shook Cisco's shoulder until he woke, pulling a knife out from under his pillow. Tala blocked it instinctively, tossing it into the wall, where it stuck, point first.

"Tala?" Cisco asked, confused. "Tala, what's wrong?"

Tala shook her head, knowing she couldn't tell him what was wrong. Tala knew if she spoke, Oliver would be forewarned and Ra's would turn his ire to her.

"A warning from the League," she sobbed, letting Cisco pull her into his arms. "They won't let up on Ollie until he accepts."

Cisco pulled Tala down on to the bed, holding her against his chest as she cried herself to sleep. He tried to soothe the normally unshakable assassin, but knew it was futile. Eventually he fell back asleep, holding Tala tightly.


	21. 121 All Star Team Up

Tala stood next to Cisco, politely shaking hands with a CEO from National City. As they turned away, Tala rolled her eyes and took a sip of her champagne, hiding her fixed smile for a moment. Cisco chuckled softly and took her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. He looked around the room and spotted their company's head of finances arguing with another board member. Cisco turned Tala to face the altercation, giving her a questioning look.

"Get security, I specifically gave instructions to keep him out. I swear I'm going to fire him," Tala straightened her shoulders and walked over to the argument with a gentle smile. Cisco went the opposite direction, trying to find Cody or Kyle before Tala committed murder. He grabbed their driver and head of personal security and walked back over to Tala who had just cut into the conversation.

"Mister Greyson! How good of you to make it to this little gathering," Tala said sweetly, beaming at the unwelcome guest. "I was actually just telling Francisco here how disappointed I was when I didn't see your name on the guest list. Isn't that right, Cisco?"

"Completely true. So when I saw you I just had to point you out to her," Cisco said, smiling behind his glass of champagne.

"Is that so, Miss Merlyn, Mister Ramon?" Greyson asked, his face carefully blank.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I want the head of my Central City finance department here?" Tala shook her head, smiling gently. "It isn't as if the only reason you're on my board is because my CFO lives in Starling and I didn't want to move his entire family out here."

"But wait, I thought that was exactly why he was on the board," Cisco said, turning to face Tala, his eyes sparkling.

"Miss Merlyn, my position on the board aside, at least I came to this company through honest means, as opposed to both you and your _pet_ ," Greyson sneered, glaring at Cisco. Tala turned to face him, her powers starting to form around her. "I was hired by your grandfather, and I managed to stay, despite your father's insanity and your inability to settle down and marry up for the good of the company."

Cody groaned and shook his head, covering his face. Cisco closed his eyes and sighed, anticipating the reaction from Tala. The two men glanced around, noticing that many of the CEO's and various board members were watching the altercation with anxiety. The Rathaway patriarch waved over more security as Tala's smile became fixed. The assassin took a sip of her champagne before laughing as if she heard an amusing joke.

"My father was overtaken by grief after my mother's murder in the Glades. After that night he never saw beyond his anger, going so far as to leave my younger brother alone for two years as he left to discover who he was without mom," Tala said, educating the soon to be fired man. Her powers left, only leaving an eerie blue glow in her eyes. "Beyond the circumstances leading up to my taking over, I have done nothing but raise the profile of this company. Stock prices have gone up, inventions from Star Labs are bringing in revenue we haven't seen since before my grandfather passed away."

Tala took another sip of her champagne, smirking at the abashed finance manager. A purple color started creeping up the back of his neck.

"The issue of your immoral and unethical relationship with this man still leaves many of us to question your ability to lead this company. When will you settle down and marry? Will the company take your husband's last name, or will _Cisco_ take yours?" Greyson asked scathingly. Tala beamed at the gathered crowd, finishing her drink before passing the empty glass to Cody. As she turned back around to face Greyson, she pressed a loving kiss to Cisco's cheek.

"'Immoral and Unethical?' I wonder if you are referring to the premarital sex we tend to have every night? Or are you calling me making him my partner wrong? Because both of those can be easily overlooked when you remember that this isn't the nineteen fifties anymore." Tala wrapped her arm around Cisco's waist, tucking her knife into his waistband so she wasn't tempted to throw it, before moving to hold his hand. "And if Cisco and I are lucky enough to progress to an engagement and marriage, I think it would be perfectly fitting to lose my father's last name and taking Ramon as mine. Then perhaps the final legacy of the man who tried to destroy a city will burn. Ramon Industries, what do you think, my love?"

"Kyle once told me it should have a green logo, rather than the sleek silver we currently have. I can see it. We could even make Star Labs our main headquarters," Cisco said, laughing. "I can't see anyone having a problem with it, I mean the Mayor and the District Attorney called you earlier today for advice. The Captain of the Police force has you on speed dial. I don't think anyone will care what your last name is, or if you're married. They respect you because you're amazing."

"You're completely right, Cisco! Captain Singh doesn't care if I show up in a suit, or sweatpants. Mayor Bellows met with us at our home last night and I was wearing jeans," Tala said, reaching to take the full glass of champagne from Cody. "The DA doesn't care that I'm unmarried, because he is a thirty eight year old bachelor! Huh, it's like the only person that has an issue with me, is you, Mister Greyson. So, on behalf of Merlyn Industries, you are hereby removed from your position at my company. Kindly clear out your desk tomorrow morning and turn in your badge."

Tala took a sip of her drink before splashing the rest of it in the face of the disgraced man. She turned and led Cisco and Cody out, running her fingers through her hair. She left the building, letting Cody open the back door of their car before starting the drive to their house.

"I didn't know you could fire board members?" Cisco asked as Tala leaned against him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"He's a proxy, for the CFO. And I didn't kick him off the board, I merely terminated his position of head of finances in Central City. If the board lets him keep his position as proxy, that's their business," Tala said, relaxing in his embrace. "But I doubt, after his very public attack on your character, he will last long."

"Please, he'll be out of Central City by the end of the week," Cody said from the front.

"What makes you say that?" Tala asked, frowning.

"The press was there." Tala and Cisco looked at each other before laughing. Cody smiled at them in the rearview mirror as he pulled into their driveway.

"Thanks for driving us," Cisco said as they got out of the car. Cody waved before leaving. Tala walked up to their room, dropping onto the bed with an exaggerated groan, Cisco followed, laughing.

"Death by apitoxin," Caitlin said looking at her tablet. Tala froze, looking at her with panic.

"Honeybee venom," Harrison put into layman's terms. Tala swallowed roughly, biting her lip.

"Bees. Why did it have to be bees?" Cisco asked, his own fear creeping into his voice. "Y'all, I don't do bees, ain't nobody got time for bees."

Tala shivered and rubbed her hand up and down her arm, her eyes scanning the entire room for any sign of the black and yellow bug.

"But when a honeybee stings, the stingers are torn from their abdomen and they die," Harrison said.

"But there were no stingers in the body, and no dead bees in the car," Barry said. Tala shuddered.

"A honeybee can only deposit point one milligrams of apitoxins when it releases its stinger," Caitlin added, glancing curiously at Tala, who wasn't paying attention to the conversation.

"And yet Ms. Kang was found with enough venom in her system to kill a herd of elephants," Harrison concluded. "It appears not only is this metahuman controlling these bees, but also increasing their toxicity."

"Bees communicate through releasing pheromones," Barry added. "Maybe this Meta is controlling them through secretion?"

"Anyone wanna join me in getting a beekeeper suit?" Cisco asked, turning to face Tala. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head jerkily and looked at him, her eyes blown wide in fear.

"I'm deathly allergic to bees. A normal one is enough to kill me," Tala said, rubbing her arm again. "One controlled by a Meta that makes them more powerful? I think I should stay far away from this one."

"I'm pretty sure I can outrun a bee," Barry said.

"Just don't run into a lake," Felicity said from the door, making everyone turn to her in surprise. Tala smiled at her friend. "The bees will wait for you to come up for air. Then sting you. Discovery Channel. Turns out there's a lot to discover."

"Felicity, what are you doing here?" Barry asked.

"Can you guys come outside for a sec?" She asked, smiling hopefully at them all. Cisco shrugged before holding his hand out to the still nervous Tala to take. They all followed the blonde outside.

Felicity stood, watching the skies. Tala leaned against Cisco who leaned against a railing. He was watching the skies while Tala kept glancing about for bees.

"What exactly are we waiting for, Ms. Smoak?" Harrison asked, confused. Felicity pointed to a shape in the sky.

"Up there!"

"Is that a bird?" Caitlin asked, squinting at the sky. Tala pushed her powers out, feeling a vibrational energy that was familiar.

"It's a plane," Cisco said, stepping forward to try and get a better look. He flinched back as a humanoid shape crash landed in front of them, cracking the concrete.

"It's my boyfriend," Felicity said, smiling sheepishly.

"Felicity, what did you just bring to us?" Tala asked, dispelling the barrier that kept the dust off of her. Ray took his helmet off and waved to the startled and confused Star Labs employees.

"Hi, I'm Ray," he said, unnecessarily. Tala groaned, covering her face with her hands. Cisco snorted next to her, trying not to laugh. Tala turned and led them all back to the Cortex, where she dropped into her chair with a sigh. Caitlin started giving Ray a general checkup while Cisco looked over the specs of the suit.

"Tala, he has actual blasters, look at this!" he cheered, shoving the tablet in her face. Tala blinked and leaned back, trying to focus on the blueprints on the screen.

"I need a coffee," Tala groaned, taking it from Cisco's hands and looking at it.

"So, he seems a little, tall for you," Barry said, looking at Felicity. Tala arched an eyebrow, turning away from the specs for Ray's suit to watch Barry be jealous.

"Barry Allen, are you jealous?" Felicity asked. Tala nodded even though neither of them were looking at her.

"No, no. I'm not jealous," Barry stuttered. "I just wish you would've called before flying in."

"Oh, no. I drove. He flew," Felicity explained.

"I'm serious," Barry said. Tala wondered if his apprehension was less about Ray, and more about the Reverse-Flash. "Alright, now is not the best time."

Tala nodded when Barry caught her eye, knowing what this was about.

"Why? What's going on?" Felicity asked. Ray and Caitlin walked back into the main part of the cortex.

"Ah, well, my ears popped so that's something," Ray said, shaking his head. Tala snorted.

"You're lucky you didn't break your neck!" Tala said, giving him a bewildered look. Caitlin turned the same look onto her.

"What is it with billionaires being superheroes?" Caitlin asked, looking between the two CEOs.

"Technically neither Barry nor my brother are billionaires. Just me and Ray here," Tala said, smiling.

"So, uh, have you picked a name yet?" Cisco asked Ray, pulling the tablet back from Tala.

"I'm kinda partial to the Atom," Ray said. Tala shook her head.

"Are you married to that or...?" Cisco asked.

"Your Atom suit is quite the technological achievement, Mister Palmer," Harrison said. "I'm impressed."

"And he's never impressed," Caitlin said smiling at Ray.

"Well thank you. But I can't quite seem to keep it up," Ray said. Tala blinked at his phrasing.

"He means the suit!" Felicity said, running over and grabbing Ray's arm.

"Yeah, I mean the suit," Ray said, obviously not sure as to why Felicity was jumping in.

"I can attest that everything else works just fine," Felicity babbled. "There's nothing we need to fix in that area."

"No, no, no. The sex is great," Ray said, finally catching on to the innuendo he had made. Tala bit her thumb, trying not to laugh out loud.

"My God, there's two of them," Caitlin muttered.

"I know from Felicity that you guys have been very helpful with Barry and the Flash suit," Ray said as Felicity wrapped herself around his arm. Tala raised an eyebrow, wondering if Felicity was going to choose Ray over Ollie. "And I was hoping to get another set of eyes on my... problem."

"Any friend of the Arrow's, is..." Harrison was cut off by Cisco and Tala.

"Hell yes!" They cheered.

"Uh, guys, we kind of have a lot going on already," Barry said, looking at Tala. She gave him a stubborn look, trying to remind him that they had to at least pretend to be civil with Harrison until they could prove him to be the reverse-flash. "There's a metahuman killer that can control a whole swarm of bees."

"Cool," Ray said, before looking at Felicity. "I mean, awful."

"I'm sure Caitlin and Harrison will provide ample support, Barry," Tala said. "Meanwhile, Cisco and I will be very happy to sit this one out. I'd like to remain alive."

"Ray, why don't you stay here and work on your suit, while Barry and I run to Jitters for some Java?" Felicity asked, looking at the speedster.

"Sounds like a plan!" Ray said, smiling.

"Extra espresso in mine please? Take my card," Tala pulled out her credit card and threw it at Barry, who needed to use his super speed to catch it. She grinned at them as they left. Cisco started pushing the suit toward the elevator, while Tala and Ray grabbed various tools and tablets.

"Where are we planning on working?" Ray asked, curious.

"The trap room still has a lot of our tools in it from the supercapacitors," Cisco said, summoning the elevator. "I think there would be our best bet."

Tala nodded and selected the proper floor, leaning against Cisco to allow more room for Ray and the tech they were dragging with them.

"So, tell me about the suit, Ray," Tala said, stepping from the elevator. She hip-checked Cisco out of her way with a playful smile, taking a closer look at the suit. "Is this dwarf star alloy?"

"Yeah! Well, the alloy powers it. If I tried to make the entire suit out of it..."

"You'd never fly because of how heavy it is," Cisco said. "So, you put solid oxide fuel cells into the belt?"

"Yeah, that's the only place to hide the hardware," Ray said, looking at the 3D model on the screen.

"Hmm, well they should be generating enough energy to power the suit," Cisco said, glancing at Tala before turning to face Ray and the suit. "It could be the operating temperature. I mean you're essentially-"

"Overheating the system, yeah I figured," Ray said, nodding. Tala started giggling, causing both men to look at her strangely.

"What is so funny about that?" Cisco asked, looking concerned. Tala cleared her throat, trying to force a straight face.

"That's the first thing we talked about. An overheating system, with nitrogen to cool it," Tala said, smiling at Cisco. He nodded, and smiled back. "But I don't think that would work in such a compact area. Cisco, what if we-"

"Insulated them with a ceramic compound?" Cisco asked, looking between Ray and Tala.

"We may be able to improve the operating efficiency," Ray finished, grinning. "You really are quite clever, Cisco."

Ray turned and grabbed some of his tools and a tablet to begin working. Tala watched as Cisco lost the grin on his face, staring blankly ahead. She looked at him concerned.

"How do you turn this thing on?" Ray asked. "Cisco? You okay?"

Tala reached out and took his hand, pulling him out of whatever train of thought he was lost in.

"Yeah, I just haven't been getting enough sleep, so..." Cisco trailed off and Tala sent him a confused look. They had both been sleeping fine, he had slept soundly the past few nights.

"Cisco, Tala, we need you up here," Caitlin's voice echoed through the PA system, a warning alarm going off in the background. Tala rolled her eyes and started running for the Cortex, hearing Ray and Cisco's footsteps echoing behind her.

"The killer bees are at it again," Caitlin said as Tala skid to a halt in the room.

"Get ahold of Barry," Harrison said. Tala pulled out her phone and sent him the SOS, glancing over Cait's shoulder to find the location. Cisco and Ray ran into the cortex and moved to stand in front of the monitors hanging on the wall.

"I'm too late," Barry said over comms.

"Where are the bees?" Cisco asked, grabbing a tablet and turning back to the monitors.

"I dunno, there's no sign of them," Barry said. Tala flinched slightly and shuddered, fingering the epipen she had stuck in her pocket. "I found them! Uhh, how do I get out of here?"

Cisco pulled up the blueprints of the building, Tala tried not to smile watching Barry's GPS signal bounce around the building like a pinball.

"Take the northeast crossways. That's the quickest way out of the building," Cisco said.

"Guys, they're everywhere! I'm surrounded!" Barry shouted, panic evident in his voice. Tala watched the telemetry on his suit start to falter.

"He's going into cardiac arrest," Harrison said. Tala paled, tapping her finger against her epipen anxiously. She started as Cisco's phone began ringing.

"Cisco! Barry doesn't have a pulse," Joe said as Cisco answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"Step away from him," Cisco ordered.

"What? Why?" Joe and Tala asked, the latter looking at her boyfriend like he'd lost it.

"We need to jump start his heart, there's a defibrillator in the suit!" Cisco explained. Tala nodded, understanding.

"Charge it to three hundred and sixty joules," Caitlin told Harrison as he started typing in the command code.

"Charging in three, two, one." Harrison hit the send key and Tala waited, biting her lip and bouncing her leg slightly. The telemetry didn't change.

"Hit him again, four hundred joules!" Caitlin ordered.

"Charging in three, two, one." Harrison hit the send key again and Tala sighed as the suit told her Barry was alive. She reached over and took Cisco's hand smiling slightly. They didn't relax fully until Barry raced into the room and left the suit on the mannequin. Felicity leaned against the wall looking annoyed.

"That is it for the defibrillator. It's completely fried," Cisco said, checking the wiring in the emblem.

"You are very lucky to be alive, Mister Allen," Harrison said.

"I was very specific that you not die!" Felicity said, stalking toward Barry. Tala grinned at her blonde friend.

"Yeah, that's a pretty big thing for her," Ray said, also smiling at Felicity. Barry looked at Cisco from the chair he was in.

"Cisco, what happened out there? I followed your directions exactly," Barry asked, confused. Tala sent Cisco another concerned look, wondering what was wrong with him.

"I'm sorry, I led you the wrong way," Cisco said apologetically. "The schematics we had weren't up to date."

"They weren't up to date? What do you mean? That's never happened before," Barry said. Tala noticed Harrison looking at Cisco calculatingly, but she didn't bring it up.

"And what, you think Cisco was trying to get you killed?" Felicity asked Barry. Tala snorted at the insanity of that statement.

"No, why would he do that? That doesn't make any sense," Barry said, looking at Felicity like she was crazy.

"I know, that's why I was joking," Felicity said haltingly. Tala shrugged at her confused look.

"Barry, it's our job to protect you and today we failed," Harrison said. "But that will serve as a warning for all of us to be more vigilant in the future."

"Good news," Caitlin announced as she walked into the room from her lab. "The apitoxin is out of your body. Your levels are back to normal."

Tala and Felicity sighed in relief. Tala grinned and walked over to give the speedster a hug. As she pulled away she hit his arm.

"Never scare me like that again!" She demanded, glaring at him. "I refuse to put your name on my memorial."

Barry sped out of the room and returned in a suit. Tala looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Terrific. Ray, Felicity, we're going to be late for dinner," Barry said, buttoning his jacket.

"Are you sure that's wise, Barry?" Harrison asked.

"You just died," Caitlin protested.

"Maybe you should order in tonight," Cisco said, looking at Tala who was already pulling up a menu for Chinese delivery.

"Yeah. We could totally cancel!" Ray said.

"I'm fine," Barry said. "Alive. Hungry. All right? Let's go."

Ray and Felicity shrugged and left. Tala looked up at Cisco with a confused look on her face.

"That was weird," Cisco said. Tala nodded, passing him her phone to place his order.

"Yeah, why didn't we get invited to dinner?" Caitlin asked. Tala shrugged.

"Kitten, can I talk to you for a minute?" Tala asked, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the cortex. She thought she heard Caitlin mutter something about a honeymoon phase.

"What's up?" Cisco asked once they reached Tala's gym.

"I should be asking you that! You told Ray you haven't been sleeping well after you spaced out," Tala said, subtly checking him over for injuries. "Yet, you've slept more than I have for the past week. What is wrong with you?"

"I'm fine, Tala," Cisco reassured, placing his hand on her cheek. "A few weird dreams that leave me with a bad feeling, but I can't remember them. I've been kind of remembering flashes randomly, like key phrases are triggering them. It's just weird."

"Kitten, you should have told me!" Tala protested, pulling him against her. She ran her fingers through his hair comfortingly.

"I'm more worried about Barry," Cisco shrugged. "He's not been himself recently."

"We could ask Joe. He'd know if something is wrong," Tala suggested. "And maybe he'll have information on our latest victim that could point us to the queen bee."

Cisco nodded slowly, giving the assassin a small smile. She grinned and took Cisco's hand, grabbing her helmet off her desk as she led him out of the building. Tala drove them both to the precinct, hoping everything was okay with Cisco and that Barry stopped acting suspicious. She snorted, knowing that if anyone gave away their investigation, it would be the speedster.

"Joe!" Cisco greeted as they walked toward his desk. Tala grinned at the detective, following behind the engineer.

"Oh. Cisco, Tala. Hey," Joe greeted distractedly, looking up from a case file. "You two just saved me a trip to Star Labs. I got some info on our second victim. Name's Bill Carlisle; he was recently hired at Folston Tech, to beef up their robotics division."

"Robotics?" Cisco echoed, flipping through the file. "That's just like the first victim. Wow, that is weird."

"I'm suddenly glad my robotics division is safely in Gotham. I'd hate to think of this Meta coming after my employees," Tala muttered, leaning against the desk.

"This, isn't why you stopped by," Joe said, looking at them. Tala shook her head as Cisco sat in a chair.

"No, I wanted to talk to you about Barry," Cisco said.

"Okay," Joe said, seating himself in his chair. Tala placed her hand on Cisco's shoulder, playing with the fabric of his jacket.

"Is there something going on with him?" Cisco asked, concern for his friend finding its way into his voice. "Something he's not telling us?"

Joe glanced up at Tala, who shook her head. Tala didn't want Cisco knowing they were investigating Harrison until they had proof. She knew the truth, and it hurt, knowing the man she had once looked up to was an evil speedster from the future. Cisco would be shattered if his hero wasn't who he said he was.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked.

"He hasn't really been himself lately," Cisco said, passing the folder to Tala absentmindedly.

"Not that I'm aware of," Joe lied, shrugging.

"It's like something is just really bothering him," Cisco said.

"Well, I think he's got his mind trained on catching the bad guys, Cisco," Joe said, wandering around the truth. "And, he's probably worried about when the Reverse-Flash is gonna show his face again."

Tala tensed as Cisco's energy changed, nearly flat lining before coming in erratic pulses, like rain disturbing the calm surface of a lake. Tala rubbed her hands down his arms, trying to shake him out of it.

"Hey, you okay?" Joe asked. Cisco blinked and his energy returned to normal, the smooth steady pulses she had come to recognize him by.

"Yeah. Yeah, no, I'm fine. It's just, I got this crazy headache," Cisco lied, smiling at Joe. "Thank you for the file, and the talk."

Cisco stood and started walking out, dragging Tala along. She glanced over her shoulder at Joe, giving him a bewildered look. She drove them back to the lab, wondering why their metahuman was going after robotics specialists, and what was bothering Cisco. His energy had never changed like that before. Tala shook her head as she parked, leaning her bike down on the kickstand. They walked back up to the cortex where Caitlin greeted them.

Tala froze as she heard a gentle buzzing sound fly past her ear. She turned and looked, and right in front of her, close enough to make her go cross-eyed was a bee. Tala let out a scream no one expected of the assassin and dove under the desk, sliding away from the insect. Tala grabbed her phone where she sent as SOS to Barry. Caitlin and Cisco stood back to back, Caitlin wielding a fire extinguisher and Cisco holding the gauntlet of Ray's suit, tracking the bee with his eyes. He blasted at it, taking a hole out of the desk.

"Did I get it?" He asked, looking at Tala who was hiding behind Harrison, her epipen in her hand. "I think I got it."

"Where is he?" Caitlin asked. Tala froze when she saw it buzzing toward Harrison. His energy started building, ready to run away from it if it tried to sting him. Barry sped into the room, catching the bug in a vial.

"Thank you!" Tala squeaked, straightening from her crouch. She replaced the cap on the epipen and dropped it back in her pocket.

"Let's see what makes this bee so poisonous. Ugh," Cisco flinched as he took the vial from Barry and headed to a lab. Tala followed tentatively, shooting Barry a grateful smile. Caitlin ran after them as Tala looked in the microscope.

"That is one odd looking bee," she said, squinting at it. "And as someone who studied nearly every species so I could run when necessary, I mean that legitimately."

Cisco pushed Tala out of the way and zoomed in, studying the insect in the jar.

"That's because it isn't a bee at all," he said, sounding confused. "It's a robot."

"No way," Caitlin said, looking into the microscope. Tala looked at Cisco worriedly.

"Does that mean my epipen won't do me any good?" she asked chuckling nervously. "Well, at least this means it isn't a Meta. I'm still not gonna risk fighting against this one."

"Risk fighting against what?" Ray asked as he and Felicity returned.

"The crazy psycho robotics genius," Tala said. "Not a meta as it turns out."

"Unbelievable!" Cisco said, looking at the specs for the bee. "This bot's got a three hundred and sixty degree vision system. I mean, we're talking multiple micro cameras, all coming from various angles at the same time. Which means-"

"It can see all around the room, at once," Ray said, cutting across Cisco. "That is-"

"Amazing!" both boys said together. Tala and Felicity glanced at each other, fond smiles on their faces.

"Disturbing," Caitlin corrected.

"It's also next-gen hardware that's nowhere near the market," Tala said, biting her lip. "I'd know, Merlyn Industries is working on something like this for a Virtual Reality gaming headset. We can barely get it to work with capacitors the size of this room, let alone something handheld."

"So not a Meta," Felicity repeated, understanding.

"No, just a mad scientist," Barry said.

"Cisco, you said the second victim, Bill Carlisle was a robotics engineer. Let's cross-reference his previous employment with Kang's," Harrison said, causing Cisco to nod and move to start on that. Tala leaned forward to read over his shoulder.

"Allow me! Mama's been away from a keyboard for far too long," Felicity said as she practically dove toward Caitlin's usual workstation. Tala gave her an amused look as she worked.

"They both worked at Mercury Labs," Tala said, glancing at the screen. "Let's call Joe, I think it's time we paid a visit to an old friend."

Barry left to call Joe, and Tala turned to Harrison, concern on her face.

"Tina isn't going to be happy to see either of us, Harrison," Tala muttered, glancing around at the team. "Especially after we _lost_ her tachyons prototype. I'm going to stay here. Mostly because of the robotic bees, but also because I don't want to have to deal with Tina twice in a week."

"Alright, I'll go with Barry and Joe," Harrison said, unconcerned. "Just, keep an eye on things here."

She nodded as they left, leaning against Cisco tiredly. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, smiling at her.

"Cisco, do you think you two can help me a little bit more with the ceramic insulation?" Ray asked, gesturing hopefully toward the elevator. Tala smiled and sat up.

"You two go. I'm going to stay here and get a jump on my finances. Since I fired Greyson I need to find a replacement. Hopefully this one isn't a dick," Tala sighed, stretching up to plant a kiss on Cisco. She watched as the two boys went down to work on the Atom Suit.

Tala kicked her feet up on the chair next to her and started reading through the resumes she'd been sent. She was absentmindedly chewing on a red vine when Felicity walked back in, still wearing her dress from dinner. The blonde computer genius set a hot cup of coffee next to Tala, smiling at her as she pushed the tablet away.

"I need a new finance manager. I fired mine earlier this week," Tala said, humming around her coffee. "Threw my champagne in his face too."

"What did he do to deserve that?" Caitlin asked as she walked in from her lab. Tala stood and stretched, rolling her neck.

"Made rude insinuations about me and Cisco. Called us immoral and unethical," Tala said, glaring at the space in front of her. Felicity turned to the monitor showing Ray and Cisco working on the suit in the trap room.

"It is so fun to watch grown men play with their toys," Felicity said, laughing softly at Ray who appeared to disagree with what Cisco was saying.

"You're so lucky," Caitlin said. "Ray is so nice, and smart, and hot."

"Yeah," Felicity agreed. "It's kinda like I'm dating Barry but in Oliver's body. A sentence you will never repeat to anyone!"

"Your secret is safe with us, Glasses," Tala snickered, before paling rapidly when she heard the buzzing of their robotic bee.

"It must have reactivated," Harrison said. "If it's controlled wirelessly-"

"I can trace its signal and figure out where it's trying to go," Felicity said, moving to sit behind the computer. Tala pushed her powers out around her, forming a bubble. She shook her head at herself, feeling stupid for not thinking of it sooner.

"Oh no," Felicity said.

"Oh boy," Harrison agreed.

"What?" Caitlin and Tala asked, Tala's voice slightly distorted through the bubble.

"The swarm is headed for Mercury Labs," Harrison said, his voice suggesting an eye roll, even if he didn't actually bother going through with the motion. "Brie Larvan's going after Tina."

Tala sighed and sent a text to Barry, summoning him back to the labs, before leaning over to call Cisco and Ray back up from the trap room. She shook her head, annoyed that the crazy girl was going after a friend of hers and she couldn't do anything about it. Barry sped in and changed into his flash suit.

"How do we stop them?" The speedster asked as Cisco and Ray walked into the room.

"She's gotta be remotely piloting those bees from somewhere," Harrison said, working off the tablet attached to his chair.

"We need to stop this bug-eyed glasses woman," Cisco said, causing Tala to smile.

"And her mini-bandits," Ray said, standing behind Felicity. The two boys looked at each other.

"Bug-eyed Bandit," They both said. Tala snorted, laughing at their excitement over a nickname.

"Got her!" Felicity said. "She's in an abandoned greenhouse."

"Barry, you have to take out Brie," Harrison instructed. "It's the only way to stop these Nano drones."

"What about Doctor McGee?" Barry asked.

"Sarie, the defibrillator in your suit is broken," Tala said, looking at him. "Tina is going to have to survive on her own, we can't revive you again without being there in person."

"The bees can't penetrate my suit," Ray said. Tala looked over at him with her eyebrows raised. "I'll go."

"Woah, we haven't tested out the new power system yet," Cisco said, looking nervously at Ray.

"We'll do it now," Ray shrugged. Tala leaned over to Felicity.

"What is it with all the men in your life being morons?" Tala asked.

"I'm following you," Cisco said, chasing after Ray. Caitlin stood up.

"I'm driving," she said, looking at Tala who nodded.

"Count me in," the assassin said, pulling for her armor. She was not allowing Cisco to go out in the field without her there for backup.

While the boys went to the trap room to get Ray suited up, Caitlin and Tala headed for the garage where they started up the Star Labs van. Cisco jumped into the passenger seat, carrying a tablet tracking Ray's suit. Tala was crouching in the back of the van, not sure what her use was, but she would be damned if she let harm come to her beloved.

"Found her," Ray said through comms.

"Felicity, can you jam their frequency?" Cisco asked.

"No, I already tried," Felicity said back at the cortex. "But I may be able to redirect them onto a new target. Ray, get ready for incoming."

"We have the technology," he said.

"Tina is about to be so confused," Tala laughed from the back of the van. She braced herself as Caitlin took a sharp turn, following Ray.

"Okay, Cisco. Now what?" Ray asked, Tala turned to face Cisco, thinking that that was a very good question.

"Ray, get to the ocean," Cisco said. "If the bots follow you into the water, their electronics will fry."

"Got it," Ray confirmed. "Wait, but so will my suit."

Tala waited, listening as Ray dove under the water briefly, then came back up.

"Cisco, I'm fried. I'm losing propulsion control!" Ray said.

"Can you see the van?" Cisco asked, and Tala had a sudden bad feeling as to what was going to happen.

"Yeah?" Ray asked.

"We'll catch you," Cisco said.

"You will?" Ray asked, unsure.

"We will?" Tala and Caitlin echoed nervously.

"We will," Cisco confirmed. He dropped the tablet and pulled himself to the back of the van to assist Tala in making sure Ray landed safely. They pushed open the doors and dove to the side, each one holding their hand out to grab Ray and pull him.

"Keep it steady," Tala called up to Caitlin as Ray leveled out. He pushed the last bit of his propulsion out and landed in the back of the van, nearly crushing Tala's leg.

"The Atom lives!" Cisco cheered as Ray pulled off his helmet. Tala smiled fondly as Cisco clapped hands with Ray. "Ow, let's work on some softer gloves for next time."

"Oops, sorry," Ray said. Tala laughed at the two before taking Cisco's bruised hand within her own.

"Good news is nothing is broken, just bruised," Tala said, checking it over. "And I've given you worse bruises than this in training."

Tala pushed her hood down and removed her mask as Caitlin pulled over, letting them hop out of the van. Ray had removed his exosuit and was stretching a bit. Tala was leaning against the door, glad to have the bee crisis dealt with.

"This is some team you've got here, Tala," Ray said.

"It helps to have friends in your corner," Caitlin said as she came around from the driver's seat.

"That was some good driving Caitlin," Tala said as the two girls and Ray walked a few steps away from the van.

"I was like a stunt driver!" Caitlin cheered, giving the assassin a high five.

"That was pretty impressive, it was almost as erratic as my flying when I first started," Ray said.

"Do you have a video of that? Because I once had Nyssa record Sara when we started training her in bow staff," Tala said, laughing at the memory. "She was as awkward as a one legged duck."

Tala froze, feeling Cisco's energy change suddenly. She turned to face her beloved, finding him with a shocked expression on his face, holding his neck.

"Koneko? Are you okay?" Tala asked. The assassin watched with muted horror as his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped to the ground.

"Cisco!" Tala dimly heard Caitlin scream in panic as she dove, her knees slamming into the asphalt to try and catch Cisco.

Tala blindly grabbed her epipen and stabbed Cisco in the thigh, praying to every deity she could think of for it to work. Tala reached for Cisco's neck with shaking hands, feeling for a pulse. She screamed out when she couldn't find one. Tala looked around, hoping for a miracle before she laid him flat and started chest compressions. Tala didn't notice that she was crying as Ray tried to pull her backwards. She fought against his grip, trying to get back to Cisco.

Ray pulled Tala away as Barry ran up to them, telling them all to back away. Tala was sobbing brokenly, pulling against his hold. Barry vibrated his hands quickly, gathering a charge. A handful of seconds passed that felt like eternity before Cisco sat up with a gasp of breath. Ray let go of Tala and she fell to the ground next to Cisco, still crying as she pulled the revived engineer into her arms.

"Either my fear of bees is over, or it just got a lot worse," Cisco said, pulling Tala into a hug, letting her cry on his shoulder.

"I thought I lost you," she sobbed, clinging to him tightly as he tried to stand, pulling her up with him.

"Thank God you're okay," Caitlin said, reaching over to place her hand on Tala's back, rubbing it soothingly.

"I've never had anyone take a bee for me," Ray said, laughing gently Tala's laughter had a slight hysterical edge to it, but she was smiling. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, bro," Cisco said, chuckling lightly.

"Cisco, you're a hero, man," Barry said, grinning at the engineer. Tala tightened her grip on Cisco.

"I don't want a hero, I just want my boyfriend," she said into his shoulder. "And maybe some fries, we never did order our takeout."

Cisco started laughing as he led Tala back to the van. Ray and Barry jumped in the front seats, leaving Caitlin to pile in the back with the engineering couple. Tala didn't let go of Cisco until they made it back to the labs. Caitlin insisted on giving Cisco a quick checkup before allowing them to go home. Tala dragged Cisco up to their bedroom, not even giving him time to protest.

Tala laid on Cisco's chest, listening to his heartbeat with a happy smile on her face. He wasn't dead, that was everything she wanted.

"Are you okay?" Cisco asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're the one that died," Tala said, hesitating slightly.

"You're the one that thought you were losing me," Cisco said, sitting up and leaning against the headboard of the bed. Tala sighed and gave him a shaky smile. "When Caitlin was checking me over she told me how you reacted. She said you broke her heart more than seeing me on the ground did. Which I suppose should offend me."

"It was... Devastating, thinking I would have to get up the next morning without you," Tala started haltingly. "To them, it was a minute, maybe two. To me, seeing you laying on the ground, it was hours, days. There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe, alive and happy. And in that moment, I had failed."

Cisco wiped a stray tear off her cheek, making her look at him. He smiled at her, before seeming to get an idea. Tala watched in mild confusion as he reached into the drawer of his night stand and pulled out a small wrapped box.

"This was originally earmarked as your birthday gift for next week," Cisco said, holding it out for her. "It was supposed to just be something pretty, and shiny. But I think, giving it to you now is going to reassure you that I'm not going anywhere."

Cisco handed her the box and watched as Tala opened it gently. She froze when she removed the paper to reveal a ring box. Cisco pulled it from her hands and opened it, showing her a ring with a blue stone on a silver band. Tala pulled it from the box with shaking hands as she stared at the ring. Cisco guided it onto her right ring finger.

"Francisco, what?" She asked, still staring at it.

"A promise," He said, tilting her chin to make her look at him. "A promise that I won't leave you again. That you will always have a place here with me."

Tala pulled away from his hand, her eyes watering. She wrapped her arms around Cisco's neck and pulled him away from the headboard so he was laying on top of her before she kissed him, smiling as she did.

Tala stepped into Jitters and smiled at her favorite smell in the world - behind Cisco's aftershave of course. She grinned at Caity, the blonde barista that now sported dark navy tips to the ends of her hair. Caity came over and handed her a hot mug, smiling as she did.

"And another end to another exciting adventure in Central City," Felicity said to Barry as the assassin walked over. Ray handed Felicity her to-go cup. "Ah yes, thank you."

"Ray, thank you for all your help," Barry said. "And I hope you figure out the problem with your suit."

"I already have, actually," Ray said, smiling. "All this time, I've been looking at the power source the wrong way. I kept thinking we needed to go bigger."

"Cisco gave you the bee droid, didn't he?" Tala asked, shuddering slightly. She rubbed her hand over her face, shaking the memory out of her mind.

"You okay, Barry?" Felicity asked, looking at the Flash. Tala turned to look at her friend, and saw the thoughtful look on his face.

"I'm gonna be. Thanks for your advice," Barry said. Tala looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Awh, I won't even charge you the five cents," Felicity said, making Tala to snort.

"Bye Felicity," Both Metahumans said, smiling at the blonde.

"Bye Barry, Tala," Felicity returned, leaving with Ray in tow. Tala turned to Barry expectantly.

"What advice did she give you?" Tala asked, sipping her coffee.

"To trust Cisco and Caitlin, to tell them," Barry said. Tala sighed, gesturing over to a table for them to sit at.

"You know this might crush them, right?" Tala asked, looking down at the ring from Cisco. She smiled at it before looking back to the scarlet speedster.

"I know, but they could help us. They deserve to know what we suspect," Barry said, running his fingers through his hair. Tala nodded slowly, taking another drink.

"Can I just shoot Harrison and avoid this whole issue? That seems easiest. I can make it look like an accident," Tala slouched in her seat, pouting slightly. "But I'll be there when you tell them. It is probably the right thing to do. I can tell because I never do the right thing, and I don't want to do this."

Tala stood next to Barry's theory board, waiting for Caitlin and Cisco to come up. She was absentmindedly flicking a knife around in her hand, not really seeing it.

"What did you tell them to get them here?" Tala asked, feeling their vibrations coming from down the hall. Cisco's were gentle pulses, like ripples on a pond, emanating from a central point - him. Caitlin's vibrations were slow, steady and calm, like frost, ice across a glass - smooth.

"Alright, alright, who's ready for some karaoke?" Cisco sang as they walked into the room. Tala raised an eyebrow at Barry, who shrugged.

"We are not going to karaoke, are we?" Caitlin asked, seeing the grim expressions across the room. Tala and Barry shook their heads.

"No, um," Barry gestured to the board next to Tala. "This is everything we know about my mother's murder, and the Reverse-Flash. I've been gathering information on him for a long time. And this is everything we know about Doctor Wells."

Barry pulled down a different sheet, showing the articles, prizes and everything Barry, Joe, Eddie and Tala had been able to find. Tala bit her tongue slightly when Cisco and Caitlin's energies shuddered slightly.

"I don't understand," Caitlin said. Cisco walked closer to the board, not looking at Tala. She took comfort in the fact that he wasn't avoiding looking at her, just focused on Barry's board. "What do Doctor Wells and the Reverse-Flash have to do with each other?"

"They're the same person," Tala said blankly. Caitlin smiled like a parent indulging a child and shook her head.

"That's impossible," She said.

"Look, Caitlin," Barry said. "It took me a long time to believe it too, but it's him."

"Doctor Wells is a speedster?" Caitlin asked incredulously. "He's paralyzed!"

"Is he though?" Tala cut back in. "Cisco said you guys found me three days after the explosion. If Harrison had suffered a spinal injury, he would've been in the hospital for weeks, at least. I know, I have three shattered vertebrae."

"And why would he kill Barry's mother?" Caitlin asked, shaking her head against Tala's explanation. "It doesn't make any sense."

Tala glanced at Cisco, who was being unnaturally quiet. Tala had expected him to rally against the idea like Caitlin was. She reached out and gently laid her hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look at her.

"Cisco? Say something, please," Tala asked gently.

"I've been having these dreams," Cisco said, sounding almost groggy. "Mostly at night, but sometimes during the day. But they don't really feel like dreams, they feel, real."

"You told me about these," Tala whispered. "You said you couldn't remember them, that they just gave you a bad feeling. What happens in the dream?"

"Doctor Wells is the Reverse-Flash. And he kills me and Tala," Cisco said. Tala looked at him with wide eyes.

Tala didn't know what Cisco was dreaming, but if she went against Eobard, even in defense of Cisco, Cisco would discover that she knew about him being the Reverse-Flash. Tala blinked with a sudden thought; _was Cisco a metahuman?_

Tala growled and threw her knife, point first into the board, pushing it back on its wheels a few inches.

"We need answers, and we need them now," Tala said, her eyes glowing blue.


	22. 122 Who is Harrison Wells

"Where's Barry?" Eddie asked as he passed Tala a beer, sitting down on the couch.

"He should be here any second," Joe said. "I sent him out for-"

"Pizza!" Barry said, holding five boxes from Coast City.

"Yo, that's dope," Cisco said, reaching over to grab the box for him and Tala.

"From Coast City?" Eddie asked, staring at the box. Barry handed Tala her credit card back.

"Supposedly the best in the West," Barry said, tossing his coat over the back of the chair. Tala sent a concerned look to Caitlin, who was still sitting on the stairs.

"Why did I not think of this before?" Cisco asked, causing Tala to shrug. Joe followed Tala's line of sight to the bio engineer.

"Caitlin?" He asked, gesturing to the pizza boxes.

"I'm not hungry," she said, shaking her head. Joe sighed and leaned against the mantle.

"Okay, six months of investigating Harrison Wells has led us nowhere," Joe pointed to Tala, who nodded, taking a bite of her pizza. "So we're going back to the beginning to see what we can find out."

"What does that mean?" Eddie asked, looking at his partner. Tala and Cisco grinned at each other.

"Road trip, baby!" they cheered, toasting with their pizza slices.

"The three of them are going to Starling City," Barry translated, shooting Tala a worried glance. She shrugged and shook her head, not concerned.

"Starling City, what for?" Caitlin asked.

"To investigate the car crash Harrison and Tess Morgan were in fifteen years ago," Tala replied, smiling softly at her conflicted friend.

"I don't understand," Caitlin said, looking between Tala and Joe. "Why?"

"Tina told Barry that Harrison was completely different after the accident," Tala said, taking a quick drink of her beer. "Like, a total stranger."

"Because the love of his life died?" Caitlin suggested. "You, of all people, can understand how grief can change a person."

"Caitlin," Joe said gently. "We believe that Doctor Wells is the Reverse-Flash and killed Barry's mother. And he may have done the same thing to Tess Morgan. We have to learn everything we can about that night. See where it leads us."

"Oh, can you cover for me, with Doctor Wells?" Cisco asked, looking up at Caitlin.

"Just tell him we had company business out of town," Tala said.

"You mean lie?" Caitlin asked, looking at the two engineers.

"Yeah?" they both said, smiling at her. She turned toward the door, walking out.

"I need some air," Tala looked at her, wondering why it was so hard for her to accept this. Barry called out after her, but she didn't turn around.

"Doesn't look like Caitlin's with us," Joe said. Barry looked at the door, then back at Joe.

"No, she's with us. I'll talk to her," he said.

"What do you want us to do here?" Eddie asked, looking from Tala to Joe.

"Business as usual," Joe said, giving his partner a trusting look. Eddie nodded.

"Copy that," Eddie agreed. He walked into the kitchen, carrying his empty beer.

"Well, I wanna wish you luck," Barry said, looking at Tala and Cisco. "But I'm also scared of what you might find."

"Scared is a good thing," Joe said, making Tala raise an eyebrow. "Scared keeps us alive."

The assassin shrugged, not agreeing, but not exactly disagreeing. She finished off her beer and reached for another slice of pizza.

"You ready to hit the road, Joe?" Tala asked, looking at him. "It'll take us ages to actually get there, since you won't let me fly us."

"Road trips are more fun," Cisco said, packing up their pizza box. "It makes it an adventure."

"Let me grab my bag, I'll meet you out front," Joe said, tossing his empty beer bottle to the assassin who caught it deftly as she stood up. Tala threw the bottles in the trash can in the kitchen, saying bye to Eddie as she left, snagging a water bottle from the fridge.

"I'm not driving," she told Cisco as she climbed in the backseat. "No thanks. I'll leave that to Cody and Joe."

Cody rolled his eyes, giving Kyle a quick kiss as he tossed a duffle in the trunk. Cisco climbed in the back next to Tala, pulling a tablet out of his work bag. Joe walked out and tossed his bag in the back before climbing in the passenger seat, greeting Cody with surprise.

"Let the Starling City Mystery Tour, begin!" Cisco cheered as Cody backed out of the driveway. Tala shook her head and groaned, propping her legs over his lap and leaning against the door, falling asleep quickly.

"Tala, wake up!" Cisco said, opening his door and stepping out of the car. "We're getting breakfast and coffee before going to SCPD."

Tala didn't respond, still completely asleep, despite it being the next morning. Cisco shook his head and walked around to her door, opening it. Tala jerked awake as she fell out of the car, twisting as she did. She landed in a crouch, wearing her armor, looking around warily. Tala smiled sheepishly as she heard Joe, Cody and Cisco laughing at her. She pushed her armor away and pouted at Cisco.

"That was the best thing I'm ever going to see," Cody said, handing Tala her duffel. "Go change, we'll order you some breakfast before heading to the precinct. While you three do that, I'll find us a hotel, yeah?"

"Cody, why don't we stay at Merlyn Manor? It's out of the way, but it's already mine," Tala shrugged. "You can just make sure it's open, I think a maid or a cleaning service has been keeping it clean."

"We're going to stay in your mansion?" Cisco asked incredulously, staring at the assassin in shock.

"No, of course not," Tala said, rolling her eyes. "It's a manor, the Queens had a mansion. Please Cody?"

The man rolled his eyes and nodded, causing Tala to smile. The group walked into the diner where Tala demanded coffee before shuffling into the bathroom to change. When she returned to the group, Cisco passed her a steaming cup and sat her down in front of a plate of her favorite blueberry pancakes. She beamed at him.

Tala led the way to Quentin's office, walking straight in as opposed to knocking.

"What do you think-" Quentin cut himself off as he looked up and saw Tala standing there smiling. "Tala! I thought you were in Central City to stay?"

Quentin stood and walked over to hug the girl, who smiled.

"I am, but I'm helping a friend in the CCPD. We're looking into a car accident that happened here about fifteen years ago," Tala said, leaning against the desk. "It involved Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan? Do you think you can pull up the file for it?"

"I can look for it, but I won't make any promises," Quentin said, gesturing for her to leave his office. Tala went and stood in the main area of the precinct with Cisco and Joe.

"He's finding it now," Tala explained, accepting the cup of coffee from Cisco. The trio waited in silence until Quentin walked back over, carrying a slim file.

"There it is," Quentin said, handing it to Joe.

"That's it?" Tala asked, staring at the file. "It's kinda small."

"It was a pretty cut and dry case," Quentin shrugged. "Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan were on a Sunday drive. The tires blow and Wells loses control and uh, sadly Tess dies on the scene. Couldn't imagine carrying that kind of guilt."

Tala frowned, knowing that if Harrison were the real Harrison, he would've still been a different person after the accident. Knowing that he was the reason Tess died would've driven him mad.

"So, what are you hoping to find?" Quentin asked, sitting on a nearby desk.

"At this point, anything," Tala said, leaning against Cisco.

"You came all the way from Central City, and you don't know what you're looking for?" Quentin asked, incredulous.

"Just following a hunch," Joe said, looking up from the file.

"Uh, can you take us to the accident site?" Cisco asked, gesturing to the pictures in the file.

"It's been fifteen years, the pictures would serve you better," Quentin said, frowning.

"Please, Quentin?" Tala asked, looking at him hopefully. "Humor us?"

Quentin sighed and straightened up, walking toward his office to get his coat and keys. Tala grinned as Laurel walked in, oblivious to their presence.

"Captain, I need those witness statements for the Joshua Brown trial," Laurel called, stopping and looking expectantly at her father. Quentin stopped and turned, his energy changing slightly.

"Uh, yeah, like I told you," Quentin said. "End of the day."

Laurel noticed Tala smiling at her, and turned, gaping at them.

"Oh, right. Detective West, Cisco, this is ADA Laurel Lance," Quentin introduced while Tala hugged her tightly.

"Lance, as in?" Joe asked, gesturing to the two of them.

"Daughter, yeah," Quentin said, turning back to his office. Laurel looked at Cisco with a smile before reaching over and shaking Joe's hand.

"Cisco, you work at Star Labs, with Barry Allen, right?" Laurel asked, glancing between the CEO and the mechanical engineer. Tala nodded, wondering what the vigilante wanted. "Can I talk to you two privately for a moment?"

Tala shrugged, grabbing Cisco and following Laurel to the interview room, where she locked the door behind her. Tala threw a wall of matter around the room, preventing cameras from recording the conversation.

"How do you know Barry?" Cisco asked. "Are you two friends or something?"

"Not really," Laurel said, setting her stuff down on the table. "We met last time he was in Starling City. Visiting my friends, John Diggle, Felicity Smoak, and Oliver Queen."

"Three people who have absolutely nothing in common. As far as I know," Cisco lied, sending a confused look to Tala who merely perched on the table.

"Cisco," Laurel said gently. "I know Barry's the Flash, and Oliver's the Arrow, and Tala's an assassin."

"How do you know that?" Cisco demanded, starting to reach for his knife. Tala snorted.

"Because," Laurel said conspiratorially. "I'm the Black Canary."

"Stop playing," Cisco said, in awe.

"It's true," Laurel said. Tala wished for popcorn, amused by her boyfriend's antics.

"You stop it right now," Cisco said, laughing. "No, no!"

His laughter turned slightly hysterical as he kept looking at Laurel. Tala couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Laurel said, gripping Cisco's arms tightly.

"I love you," Cisco said, looking at the ADA. "I mean, I love the way that you beat up criminals. Wait, why are you telling me this?"

"I thought you were the paranoid one, Tala. I need some technical expertise," Laurel said. "I've been using my sister's sonic device. I was hoping you could help modify it."

"Awh, I remember this!" Tala said, pulling it from Laurel's hands. "I made the original one, back at Nanda Parbat. She loved it."

"Yeah, yeah I think we can modify this," Cisco said, already having a few ideas. Tala hugged Laurel again before the ADA left. The two engineers went back to Quentin and Joe, who were discussing differences in procedures.

"Are we going to the crime scene today or tomorrow?" Tala asked, looking between the two cops.

"Tomorrow," Quentin said. "I need to finish things up for Laurel's trial today."

"Alright," Tala said, nodding before pulling the police Captain into a hug. "You still have my number, and we'll be staying at Camelot tonight. See you in the morning."

"Actually, Tala, can I borrow you for a minute?" Quentin asked, nodding toward his office. She frowned and nodded, gesturing for Cisco and Joe to meet her outside.

"What's up?" Tala asked, leaning against the closed door.

"It's about Sara," Quentin said, and Tala felt her heart stutter. She took a deep breath, looking down at the floor, nodding.

"Laurel told you? About her death?" Tala asked, anger burning inside of her. "Did she tell you who did it? About their reasoning?"

"No, only that she was... Gone," Quentin said, leaning back against his desk, tears in his eyes.

"My, father," Tala spat the word like it was venom. "In his infinite wisdom, had Sara killed so the Arrow would kill Ra's al Ghul."

"Your father is dead," Quentin said, looking at her like she'd lost her mind. Tala rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone, dialing his number.

"I thought you weren't talking to me anymore," Malcolm's voice came through the speaker.

"I just needed to prove a point, we can go back to not talking now," Tala said, moving to end the call.

"I know you hate me for what I did to Sara, but Tala, I do still truly love you. You are my daughter and I will protect you. Stay out of Starling City until this fiasco is over." Tala ended the call, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"He's alive, we are kinda hard to kill. Sorry about that," Tala said, scratching the back of her neck. "But I will avenge Sara's death, even if it means killing my own father. He's out of my reach for right now, but I will avenge my Little Bird."

"You always were the scarier hood out there. Your partner doesn't have much on you, especially because of your training," Quentin said, pulling her into a hug. "Just be safe out there, and don't do anything too stupid."

Tala pushed open the doors to her old home, looking around in apprehension. The lights were on, indicating Cody was there somewhere. Behind her, Joe and Cisco whistled in appreciation at the front room. Tala scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You grew up here?" Joe asked, looking around.

"Hell no! Dad had me raised by Nannies and Caretakers," Tala said, sneering. "I never stayed in one place for more than a year. Each school year was a different school. Until high school. I was sent to a private military academy in DC."

"Seriously?" Joe asked, looking at her. Tala nodded, tossing her jacket over the railing of the stairs.

"Yep. My Caretaker that time was beyond pissed," Tala laughed, thinking about the summer before high school. "I had three friends in eighth grade - none of them good people. All three of them are in jail now. Two for murder. We got together in early June, just after school let out for the year. We torched the building."

"You burnt down a school?" Cisco asked, staring at her. Tala simply nodded.

"I hated middle school, it was awkward and uncomfortable," Tala explained, leading them to the dining room, where Cody was waiting. "I'm surprised more people don't torch their middle schools."

"Most people aren't insane," a female voice came from the door leading to the kitchen. A girl looking like Tala walked out, carrying a hot dish to the table.

"Emma! I wasn't expecting you here?" Tala asked, moving to hug her.

"Are you seeing double too?" Cisco asked Joe, staring at the two girls. The only differences were their clothes, and the lack of blue in Emma's hair.

"You must be Detective West, and Cisco," Emma said, crossing the room to shake both of their hands. "You're not going to kidnap me again, are you?"

Cisco looked at her, confused, causing Tala to start laughing. Joe looked at Cisco, wondering what was going on. Cody just shook his head, reaching for the glass of scotch in front of him.

"Don't worry Emma, he was drugged to do that. Cisco, Emma is my body double, for when Tala needs to be out and about while The'eb Sagheer is committing felonies," Tala said, pouring herself a glass of bourbon. "Joe, when Cisco wanted to apologize to me, my dad drugged him letting his inner psychopath out. We knew about this and made sure Emma was the one he met with."

"Why haven't you been arrested yet?" Joe asked, looking at the assassin.

"I have diplomatic immunity, technically," Tala said. Cisco, Joe and Cody turned to stare at her. "The'eb Sagheer is Warith al Ghul. She's basically a princess, and a citizen of a different nation. If I wanted to, I'd be extradited to Nanda Parbat, where I'd face justice there. Ra's would probably have me fight in trial by combat, but I'd win."

"I miss normal," Cisco said, accepting the bourbon from Tala. Tala and Emma laughed, moving in the same way, making Joe shake his head.

"Let's eat and get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow," Tala said, reaching for the food in the center of the table. The boys shook their heads and joined in, enjoying the meal and the company.

Tala woke up early and went down to the gym in the basement of Camelot. She didn't pay attention to how long she was down there until she heard the door behind her open. Tala spun, holding her sword out, pointing toward the intruder. It was Emma.

"What's on your mind, Boss?" She asked, tossing her a water bottle. Tala caught it and sheathed her sword, pushing her armor away, leaving her in Cisco's shirt.

"I know who Harrison Wells is," Tala said. "He's the man in yellow that killed the mom of a friend of mine. Cisco and Joe are looking for proof, and I have it, but I can't share it with them."

"Why can't you?" Emma asked, sitting down on a stool. "And how do you know?"

"I'm working with him. Kind of," Tala said, leaning against the wall before sliding down to sit on the floor. "I made an oath to help him return to his time, as long as he didn't hurt Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry."

"And because he's upheld his part of the bargain, you can't go against him because of what the League teaches," Emma concluded.

"If I go against him, if I break my oath, I might as well forfeit my life," Tala growled, frustrated with herself. "But if I don't break my oath, I could lose Cisco, which would kill me as surely as Harrison would."

"So you have to decide what you can live without," Emma said. "Can you live without the League guiding you, or can you live without Cisco?"

Emma stood and left, leaving Tala with her thoughts. After a few minutes, Tala rose and walked to her old bedroom, jumping in the shower. She quickly showered and dried off, before moving to wake Cisco.

"Koneko, Kitten, it's time to get out of bed," Tala said, shaking his shoulder. Cisco rolled over, wielding a knife. Tala, so lost in her thoughts, didn't notice until it was too late to move out of the way.

Tala stumbled backwards with a shocked cry, holding her throat, trying to stabilize the wound. She looked at Cisco with panic in her eyes. Cisco dropped the bloody knife and ran to Tala's side, scooping the barely clothed girl up into his arms and running down to the dining room, shouting for Joe and Cody. Emma ran in from the kitchen, hearing the commotion.

"What happened?" Cody asked as he stormed into the room, shoving Cisco away from the blue assassin.

"She woke me up, shaking my shoulder," Cisco said, staring at Tala in shock. "I reacted, she didn't block in time. I don't know what happened!"

"You didn't hit the carotid, so she'll live, but she needs stitches," Joe said, looking at the cut. "She needs them now."

"Here," Emma said, shoving a small bowl of water in front of Tala's face. Tala dipped her fingers in the water and rubbed it onto the cut, sighing as she felt it heal instantly.

"What the hell?" Joe and Cody asked. Tala ignored them and hopped off the table, taking Cisco's hand and smiling at him. He gave her a weak smile in return.

"Water from the Lazarus Pit," Tala said. "Damian stockpiled the stuff before Ra's al Ghul kicked him out of the League. He used it to stay alive, but once his magic started increasing his lifespan, he didn't need it."

"He gave it to me and Tala, intent on keeping his protégé and her body double alive," Emma continued, pouring the rest of the water into Tala's coffee and passing it to her. "Tala doesn't use it as much as she should, because it causes bloodlust. She doesn't want to be a killer, because of you, Cisco. So she refuses to use it, it's why she won't heal as fast, choosing you over perfect health."

"What?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala. "What do you mean, Emma?"

"Her Metahuman Physiology. She would heal as quickly as Barry does," Emma said, ignoring the glares from Tala and the surprised faces. "Don't be shocked, it's my job to know everything Tala does. I majored in Biology in college, I have my PhD in Biology and Physiology. She would heal faster than your speedster, because of the Lazarus Pit waters. But the waters come with a price. You either use them until they stop affecting you, like Ra's al Ghul has done, or stop using them and let them take back what they gave you."

"I don't understand," Joe said, looking at Tala who was pointedly ignoring the coffee in front of her.

"Let's say I get shot, and it very nearly kills me. If I'm dunked in the waters of the pit, I'll be alive, perfectly healed albeit with an insane, nearly unstoppable urge, a need to kill," Tala said, sighing before drinking the coffee in front of her. "If I suppress the urge, refuse to kill or even maim, the waters will inflict the wounds it has healed me of."

"Her healing abilities are preventing that," Emma said, placing her hand on Tala's bare shoulder. "But it is making her unstable, the waters mixing with her powers. When she lost control on the dam with Hartley, that was her bloodlust mixing with her powers."

"I need to kill, and continue using the waters from the Lazarus Pit, before it kills me," Tala said, finishing her cup of coffee. "Or before I kill someone I love."

Tala pushed her chair back and walked to her room, conflicted now more than ever. She got dressed, hoping they didn't find anything to incriminate Harrison. If they did, she decided she would come clean.

"If they don't want me after I do, I'll go back to Nanda Parbat. I can handle my bloodlust there," Tala muttered to herself as she straightened her leather jacket. Tala stared at herself in the mirror for a minute before shaking her head. She could've sworn she saw herself from three years ago; wearing her League armor and fighting next to Ollie. Maybe she shouldn't have come with Cisco to Starling.

"Are you okay, Boss?" Cody asked, knocking on the door frame. Tala turned to face him, running her fingers through her hair.

"You know, if one more person asks me that question, I might stab them," Tala said, looking fondly at her driver.

"Look, I don't understand the magic waters crap or half of what your twin said," Cody said bluntly. "But I know you, and you look like you're carrying the weight of half the world on your shoulders, and you're not sharing the burden."

"It's complicated, Cody," Tala said, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Very complicated."

"So simplify it for me. Absolute base terms," Cody said, looking at her. Tala sighed and sat down, playing with a conjured ball of matter.

"I'm working with a bad person, again," Tala said. "Not because I agree with his goals, or because I want what he wants, but because by working with him, I can make sure that Cisco stays safe. But, the entire team now has a vendetta against him, and I'm afraid that if they discover I'm working with the Reverse-Flash, they'll hate me."

"The man in yellow? The evil speedster?" Cody asked, looking at Tala with surprise.

"He's not the first bad person I've worked with. Talia al Ghul, she's a psycho, the Bratva, hell, I'm the one that broke Leonard Snart out of prison!" Tala exclaimed, throwing the ball against the wall, letting it bounce back to her. "I do things for a very specific set of reasons. I get a favor out of it, or it protects someone I love. To be fair, Leonard's sister was also enroute to break him out, so he would've gotten out regardless, but I'm not a good person."

"And you're worried Cisco will leave you," Cody deduced, sitting down next to her. "If I've learned anything in my five years of marriage, it's that you will fight. You will argue and you will do things that they don't agree with, but eventually they will see it from your side. Or you will see it from their side and realize you were wrong," Cody said, placing his hand on her knee. Tala looked over at him, smiling slightly. "If you and Cisco do fight, you two will end up back together, I have no doubt on that. I've never seen two people better suited."

"Thanks Cody. I like your advice better than Emma's," Tala said, standing. "Let's get going. I need something to hit."

"We can spar later," Cisco said, walking in the room. "Wow, did you and Emma plan that?"

"Plan what?" Tala asked, handing Cisco his knife, which was still laying on the floor.

"You two are matching something scary," Cisco said, putting the knife in its holster on his wrist. He took her hand and started leading her back to the kitchen, where Emma was indeed wearing the same outfit Tala was, except a pink shirt, and Tala was wearing the ring from Cisco.

"That's the point, Kitten," Emma said, winking at the mechanical engineer who stepped backward, pulling Tala between him and the body double.

"Don't do that. It's weird," Cisco said backing away from Emma. Emma laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Where am I headed, Boss?" Emma asked, looking at Tala.

"Just go shopping, I don't care much," Tala said. "Make sure you're seen. You know what to do if approached?"

"Yep, don't worry, I've been doing this for long enough. Oh, Damian wants to know if he needs one too," Emma asked, pointing to Cisco.

"Does he have one lined up?" Tala asked, curious.

"What?" Cisco asked, looking between the twins.

"Body double," They said in unison.

"I've got one, you probably should as well, Emma is so useful," Tala finished, picking up the keys and tossing them to Cody. "We don't need an answer yet, just, think about it. It also means Emma might get laid."

"Tala," Emma said, glaring at her.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Go shopping. Buy me something shiny," Tala said, grinning. Emma rolled her eyes and left, grabbing her motorcycle helmet as she did. It matched Tala's but was pink where the blue should have been.

Tala stood between Joe and Cisco, looking between the picture of the crash and the road.

"Well, this is definitely the spot," Joe said, looking around. "Cisco, let's see what we can find."

Tala winked at Quentin before closing her eyes with one hand on the ground. She pushed her powers out, feeling her nails sharpen.

"What is that, a metal detector?" Quentin asked behind Tala, looking at Cisco. Tala snorted.

"Not quite, Quentin," Tala said, her powers changing her voice. She turned her head, looking at him with glowing blue eyes. She grinned as he took a step back.

"Essentially, but instead of listening for metal devices, we based it off Tala's powers and it'll pick up anything that emits abnormal sound waves," Cisco explained. "Ready, Love?"

Tala grinned at him, throwing her arms out, sending blue waves everywhere. The two cops watched as everything in the area took on a slight blue sheen. Cisco pulled on the headphones connected to the detector and started scanning. As Cisco scanned over the ground, Tala felt the vibrations and identified particles found.

"Yo! I think we got something over here!" Cisco shouted as the detector started sending out weird readings. Joe and Quentin jogged over. "Tachyons. Little bits of time travel."

"You sure?" Joe asked. Tala pointed to Quentin, his coffee starting to float.

"Yeah, we're sure. I can feel the same energy as the tachyons we borrowed from Tina," Tala said, pulling her powers around her again, but still keeping them ready. "I think we need a shovel."

Cisco pressed a kiss to her cheek before jogging back to the van, exchanging the detector for a shovel. He started digging while Joe pulled on gloves. Three inches down, there was a shape that wasn't dirt.

"Wait. There is something there," Tala said, her eyes closed. She moved her hand over the shallow ditch, a tendril of her powers pushing dirt out of the way.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," Cisco begged, looking at the skeletal hand that became visible. Tala pushed, creating a 3D ultrasound of the shallow grave, highlighting the body.

"Definitely a hand," Quentin said, looking at it.

"See, I was gonna say a foot, but a hand is just as bad," Cisco said, looking mildly creeped out. Joe used a brush to help Tala's powers uncover a skull. "That is just freaky."

"That is proof, Cisco," Joe said, sounding victorious.

"We'll need to test it, just to be sure. Though I'm not one to believe in coincidences," Tala said, her voice echoing. "Cisco, go grab your kit."

"I'm gonna have to call this one in," Quentin said as Cisco ran to the van. Joe grabbed Captain Lance's phone, preventing him from placing the call.

"We can't let you do that," Joe said, looking apologetically at the police captain. "And I'm asking you, cop to cop, keep this under wraps. Forget you ever saw it."

"I know you, Quentin. You're going to say that you can't do that," Tala cut in, turning her blue eyes to the Starling City native. "If this body is who we suspect it to be, anyone who knows about it will end up dead. Including Laurel, and Joe's daughter Iris. Please, just let us do this, without anyone questioning it."

Quentin sighed and turned back to the car, rubbing his eyes. Cisco ran back, tossing a camera to Tala, who caught it and started snapping pictures. Mentally, Tala had no doubt this body was the proof they needed to prove Harrison was the Reverse-Flash. She decided she would tell Cisco that night, and the rest of the team later, regardless of his reactions.

Tala paced back and forth outside the SCPD, waiting. She looked up when a black van pulled up behind her, the passenger side window rolling down.

"I didn't think you'd ever give in," Hartley Rathaway called from the driver's seat. "Get in, or I'm leaving."

Tala opened the passenger door as Hartley rolled up the window. She looked at the man she had tried to kill weeks ago.

"I've fucked up, Hart," Tala said, dropping her head into her hands. Unbidden tears sprung to her eyes, starting to roll down her cheeks. "Harrison isn't, probably never was, Harrison Wells. His name is Eobard Thawne, and he's a speedster like the Flash. I've been working with him to protect Cisco, but they're hunting him and I can't keep quiet about it when I know the truth."

"What happened to the assassin who could lie to her father about her allegiance?" Hartley scoffed, looking at the woman next to him. "The woman who broke a villain out of prison for fun? What the hell happened to you?"

"I think I fell in love, Hart. When I think of Cisco, I feel normal, like I don't have three countries wanting me for serial murder," Tala said, looking at her lap. "I want to give it up, the armor, the skill set, the death. Just be a CEO and an engineer, but I can't."

"Tell him that then," Hart said, grabbing her chin and making her look at him. "Tell him about Eobard and Snart, and me if you need to. Tell Francisco why you do what you do, then give him time to process. Stop being this weak little girl, Princess. You remind me of the sixth grader I rescued from the pink skirts and braided pigtails, that wasn't who you are. You are a powerful, feared assassin who is stronger than even you believe."

"What if I lose him?" Tala whimpered, staring at Hartley with fear visible in her eyes. Hartley frowned at her, letting go of her chin. He turned to look out the windshield, watching two cops walk back into the Precinct. Tala kept looking at him, hoping he had the answers.

Hartley thought for a second before turning back to face Tala, smacking her across the face. Tala's lip split open, and she bit her tongue, causing both to start bleeding.

"You are not some whimpering, submissive bitch, so stop acting like it," Hartley yelled at her in furious Japanese, glaring at her. Tala pressed her hand to her mouth, pulling it away bloody. "Do not forget that you have killed people for those you love. And you always make sure you get what you want. Now get out of here, before you get us both caught."

Tala opened the door, grinning to herself as she spat blood onto the asphalt of the parking lot.

"Your account isn't frozen, I never got around to it. Just, stay out of trouble," Tala said, slamming the door behind her. She watched as it pulled away, turning as Joe and Cisco walked out. Tala grinned a bloody smile at them, her eyes glowing manically.

"What the hell happened to you?" Cisco shouted, shoving his box into Joe's hands as he ran over to Tala, grabbing her face tenderly and checking her over. Tala smiled gently and removed his hands, reaching into her pocket for a vial of water. She tipped two drops onto her tongue, feeling the pain go away and the cuts heal themselves.

"A friend knocked some much needed sense into me. Literally," Tala laughed, taking the box from Joe. "Ready to get back to Central City? I miss Jitters."

"I miss Star Labs, but Laurel seemed to like her new toy," Cisco said, opening the door for Tala to climb into the backseat.

"This is impossible," Caitlin said, looking at the test results. Tala sat perched on the back of a chair, not reacting to anyone's surprise.

"Caitlin, we ran the DNA test twice," Cisco said, looking at his friend. Behind him, Tala held the ring that Cisco gave her, looking at it. "It's a perfect match."

"This body is the real Harrison Wells," Joe said, pointing to the skeleton on the table.

They were all in Barry's lab; Caitlin, Cisco, Tala, Joe, and Barry. Caitlin was having the most difficulty accepting it, even with the evidence they now had.

"If this is Doctor Wells, then who have we been working for this whole time?" Caitlin asked, looking to Joe for answers.

"Doctor McGee said that after the accident, Wells became a completely different person," Barry said, looking at the corpse. "It's because he is a different person."

Tala looked up, wondering if that was the best time to tell them. She shook her head, glancing at Joe. She couldn't confess her sins to a cop. Not just then. Tala forced a gentle smile on her face as they went to Star Labs, Joe staying behind to deal with paperwork.

In the cortex, Cisco started running through his model of the labs, looking for an area where Harrison could be hiding things.

"What are you doing, Cisco?" Caitlin asked, looking over his shoulder. Barry glanced at Tala, sitting on the opposite end of the room.

"After the accelerator exploded, I built a 3D model of Star Labs so that I could pinpoint exactly what caused the malfunction," Cisco explained, glancing up at Caitlin.

"And you never ran this test?" Barry asked, confused.

"Of course I did," Cisco said, rolling his eyes. "I just never had any reason to look at any of the areas outside the pipeline and the cortex. It's a big building, lots of places for Wells to hide something."

Tala flinched slightly when the computer went off, saying it found an anomaly.

"What is that?" Barry asked. Tala slid off the desk she was sitting on and started walking, knowing it found Eobard's time vault.

"It's this way," Tala said softly, looking at her team.

"You haven't even looked at the computer, how could you have-" Caitlin started before gasping, looking at Tala. The assassin looked at the ground before taking a deep breath and meeting the betrayed looks of her team. She slowly took the ring Cisco gave her off, and set it down in front of his keyboard. Tala started walking toward the time vault, hearing them follow her after a moment's hesitation.

Tala dropped her powers to let the palm scanner do its job, opening the door to the dark room. As they all filed in, the door closed behind them, and the lights turned on.

"Hello again, Mrs. Ramon," Gideon's voice came from invisible speakers.

"I told you Gideon, it hasn't happened yet, and right now, I am starting to think it never will. Please, pull up the newspaper again," Tala said before turning to her team. "That is Gideon, and artificial intelligence interface from the year twenty twenty four. She came with Eobard from the future."

"The future?" Caitlin asked, blinking skeptically. Tala tried not to look at Cisco, who was still holding the ring in his hand.

"Yes. The Reverse-Flash is from our future. His speed was so great that he was able to jump through time to antagonize The Flash from that year. That's why he knows Barry so well," Tala explained, looking at Barry's chest, rather than face the betrayal in his eyes.

"And you knew? Since when?" Barry demanded, glaring at the assassin.

"Christmas, when Cisco and Eobard were building the trap, I activated it, to make sure it would work. I saw the hologram of the man in yellow, and I just knew. I wandered the halls, feeling for a different energy and I found this place, so I confronted Harrison," Tala said, shrugging. "He said he just wanted to get back to his time, so I said I would help him."

"Why would you do that? Why would you work with him, he killed Barry's mother!" Cisco raged, screaming at Tala.

"To protect you!" Tala shouted back, finally looking at him. He had tears in his eyes, and a furious set to his jaw. "Because if I was close to him, I could get him back to his time with no injury to you, Cisco. Or Caitlin and Barry. I've already lost too many people, Tommy, Sara, Bette. I couldn't risk losing you too Cisco."

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Cisco said, looking at her. Tala bit her lip, but shook her head. Cisco reared back and punched her in the jaw, sending her sprawling. Tala just looked at him sadly.

"This is what he used to make sure he didn't screw up the timeline. It's why he freaked out over Mardon, Barry," Tala said from the floor, pointing to the floating hologram of the newspaper. The trio looked at the date, April 25, 2024.


	23. 123 The Trap

Tala pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her jaw, still smarting from where Cisco had dropped her. She glanced up at Barry, Cisco and Caitlin staring in shock at the holographic newspaper.

"What the frak?" Cisco asked, glancing down at the assassin, before reading out the headline. "Flash missing, vanishes in crisis."

"You, Ollie, Ray and I fought against Eobard, where you and him both vanished into a blast of light," Tala said, standing, but keeping her hands visible when Cisco shot her a glare.

"Barry, look at the date," Caitlin said.

"April twenty fifth, twenty twenty four?" Barry read off, glancing back at Tala. "Guys, when I fought the Reverse Flash at Christmas, he said that we'd be fighting for centuries."

"Wait, you can't really think that this is from... the future," Caitlin questioned.

"That would mean that, Eobard... whoever he is, is also..." Cisco trailed off.

"From the future," Barry finished, swallowing hard.

"I have to say, I'm really digging the brighter red suit," Cisco said, making Tala smile sadly at his back. "And the white on the symbol, that's dope. Wait a second, suppose we now change the color on your suit, will it be because we got the idea from this picture? That would mean we're living in a causal nexus. Wow, this is so trippy. Like 'Marty and the Polaroid' trippy."

"Not as trippy as the name on the byline," Tala said quietly. The trio glanced at her, before looking at the author's name on the article. "I noticed it the last time I was in here."

"Iris West-Allen?" Barry read out, turning to Tala in shock.

"Mazel Tov?" Cisco asked, looking at Barry. "Wait, Gideon, what did you call Tala when we walked in?"

"I called her Mrs. Ramon, which in the year twenty twenty four is her preferred title, despite having many to choose from," Gideon said, her head replacing the newspaper. Tala smiled sadly. "She also claims the title of Ra's al Ghul, one she uses often as well. And you are Cisco Ramon, CEO of Ramon Industries, alongside your wife of course. Best friends with Barry Allen, Director of Central City Police, CSI Division."

"Director?" Barry asked, looking at Cisco.

"I guess you get a promotion," Cisco replied, looking shocked.

"Gideon, no more spoilers. We can't know everything," Tala said, silencing the AI. "Tell them why Wells came here. I don't think they trust me anymore."

"To kill Barry Allen," Gideon responded. Tala tensed as Cisco's phone went off.

"Eobard's here," Tala said, looking toward the door.

"Wells is in the building," Cisco echoed, looking at his phone. Tala raised an eyebrow at him. "I put a tracker on his wheelchair, which if he's really paralyzed, I'm going to hell for."

"He's not don't worry. Barry, get them out of here before we all get caught and killed," Tala demanded, looking at the speedster. "I have not spent the better part of five months lying to the man I love just for him to die now."

"Why have you never told me?" Cisco asked, looking at her again.

"I made an oath, a blood oath on my title as Warith al Ghul to never disclose his plan. The only way around that is if he hurt any of the three of you," Tala said, shaking her head. "He kept his word, and I broke mine, which means I forfeit my life and my title to him. He is now Warith al Ghul, and I am dead."

"Why did he kill my mom?" Barry asked, looking at Tala.

"Because he was angry that you escaped," Gideon said. Tala turned toward the door.

"Barry, we need to go, he's on his way down here," Tala said, her powers extending out around her.

"What does he want from me?" Barry asked Gideon.

"For you to be the Flash," Gideon replied.

"Maybe that's why Wells let the accelerator explode. So that you would become the Flash," Caitlin said, looking at Barry.

"He knew about everything that was going to happen, except about me," Tala said, nodding along to Cait's theory. "He had no idea that I was going to be a Metahuman."

"Guys, we gotta go, he's almost here!" Cisco urged, looking at his phone. "Wait, what if HAL over there tells him we were here."

"That would be bad," Caitlin said, paling slightly.

"If I can get into its operating system, maybe I can disable its memory core" Cisco said, tossing the sensor to Tala, who caught it easily.

"Uh, Gideon, can you show us where your operating system is?" Barry asked. Tala let her powers take control, urging them to protect her three friends from Eobard. She closed her eyes briefly, whispering the same protection spell she did the night of the explosion. Tala opened her eyes to find her nails sharp and silver, like her arrowheads. She knew her eyes were blue, leaving no white or pupil. Tala noticed that there was a wind, whipping around her, blowing dark hair around her face. She looked over at the AI, seeing a tunnel to her operating system, a piece of technology she had no idea how to rig.

"Yeah, uh, nope!" Cisco said, staring at it. "That's not gonna happen."

"He is in the corridor, we must go!" Tala said, her armor appearing around her without her calling it.

"Gideon, could you just not tell him we were here?" Barry tried, looking at the AI.

"Of course. I will accept any command given to me by you, Barry Allen," Gideon said. Cisco, Barry and Caitlin looked at the AI, confused.

"We have to go!" Caitlin said, standing near the door.

"Wait, wait! Why would you accept my commands?" Barry asked. Haven felt Eobard getting closer.

"Because you created me," Gideon said. Haven grabbed Barry's arm, pulling him toward the door. The team sent one last look at the Reverse Flash suit, before Barry sped them all to Tala's gym, which was closest and in the opposite direction from Harrison. From there, after Cisco's tracker told them he was in the time vault, Barry ran them all to his house. Haven steadied the team as Barry sent a message to Joe.

Joe and Eddie walked in the house, shrugging their coats off and hanging them up. Joe looked around at everyone, stopping short when he spotted Tala, handcuffed to the railing of the stairs, a bruise forming on her jaw, and at the corner of her right eye. Her lip was freshly split, and she looked as if someone had beat her up recently. Tala grinned guiltily at Joe, showing her bloody teeth.

"What happened to her?" Joe asked, pointing to Tala. Cisco walked in the room from the kitchen, holding a bag of frozen peas on his right hand.

"I did. She knew about Wells being the man in yellow," Cisco spat, glaring at the assassin. "We found where he keeps his suit."

"For the smartest people I know, that seems pretty dumb," Joe said, tilting Tala's head to check her over. "What do you mean she knew?"

"Remember when I told you about my suspicions?" Tala asked, pulling her face out of his grip. "I knew. I confronted him ages ago, I knew before we sprung the trap."

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked, pushing Joe away. Tala stood, stopped short by the handcuffs.

"Harrison Wells is the Reverse Flash. I've known since Christmas," Tala said, looking at Eddie.

"She's been working with him," Cisco said, glaring at her from the couch. Tala sent him a pain filled look. Before she could look back at Eddie, he punched her in the stomach, making her double over, where he knocked her back to the ground with an elbow between her shoulder blades. Tala coughed, trying to catch her breath.

"I swore an oath, to get him back to his time!" Tala shouted, panting. "As long as he didn't hurt any of you, or Iris, I wouldn't kill him. As long as you were all unharmed, I wouldn't tell his secret."

"Time travel?" Eddie asked from across the living room where Joe had pushed him, saving Tala from anymore pain.

"I did it," Barry said. Tala sent him a worried look. "Or, I will do it, I mean."

"Excuse me?" Eddie asked, looking dumbfounded.

"One of the two speedsters in Barry house, the night his mother died, was Barry," Tala said, leaning back against the railing. "The Flash, this Barry. An adult."

"Which means, that one day in the future, Barry will travel back in time to that night," Cisco elaborated, picking up where Tala left off.

"Actually, I wasn't talking about that," Barry said. "I kinda already time traveled. By accident."

"How do you think he caught Mardon so fast?" Tala asked, smirking. "He was running, trying to stop a tsunami from hitting the city, and he ran too fast. His energy had changed, which was the only reason I was able to pick up on it."

"When was that?" Caitlin asked, looking back at Tala at the mention of the tsunami. Tala stood up and walked away from the stairs, letting the handcuffs clatter to the floor. She casually relocated her thumbs as she stole the frozen bag from Cisco and held it to her jaw.

"A few weeks ago, just before Cisco started having the dreams," Barry said, raising his eyebrow at Tala.

"Oh, you mean the ones where Wells uses his super speeding hand to shred apart my heart and kill Tala? Those?" Cisco asked, flexing his hand.

"I think you're seeing what happened to you and I when Barry altered the timeline. I think that day, you and I were investigating the trap, and Wells caught us. I think you're somehow remembering what happened to us," Tala said thoughtfully. "It would make sense for me to die first, trying to protect you. But since Barry ran back in time, it never happened."

"If it never happened, how can Cisco remember it?" Joe asked. Tala sighed.

"Guys," Barry said. "I think I've got a really bad idea. We have to access Cisco's memories somehow. Somewhere in his subconscious is the key."

"In his dreams. In dreams, I can hear your name, and in dreams, we will meet again," Tala quoted. Cisco glared at her, causing her to shrink back. "Fine. I can tell I'm not wanted here. Wells will become suspicious if you hate me suddenly, so call me when I'm necessary, I'll be at the office. Cisco, Cody will take you home, he's already on his way here."

Tala tossed him the ice pack and turned, leaving for the back door. She walked outside into the small backyard and hopped the fence into the neighbor's yard, before heading down the street, letting herself fall into the shadows.

Tala woke up as sunlight came through the windows in her office, lighting everything up. She groaned as she sat up, stretching slightly. On the chair across from her was an outfit, probably left there by Cody. She rolled her shoulders as she stood, shuffling over to her desk. There were no message notifications.

"That was expected," Tala said, walking over to grab the fresh clothes. She changed and went back to her office, absentmindedly answering company emails, and signing paperwork that had piled up while she was in Starling City.

"Did you sleep here?" Caitlin asked from the doorway. Tala looked up to see her holding two cups of coffee. Tala smiled softly and waved her in, gesturing for her to take the chair opposite her.

"Thank you. And yes, I couldn't think of anywhere else to go," Tala said, shrugging. "Cisco would've sooner killed me than share a bed with me again. Barry was just as mad, just less inclined to violence. You saw Eddie's reaction."

"You could've stayed with me," Caitlin said, smiling. "I think I understand what you did. And why you did it."

Tala looked up at Caitlin, having not expected her to understand her reasoning.

"You do?" Tala asked. Caitlin sat her coffee down on the desk and nodded.

"Ronnie ran into the Pipeline to save me. He would jump into a black hole to save me, that's how much he loves me. You would do anything to keep those you love safe, even if it isn't a completely moral decision," Caitlin said, looking at Tala intently. "You did everything you did to protect Cisco. I don't exactly agree with your methods, but I would probably have done the same thing to protect Ronnie. You'll do anything to protect the people you love, no matter the cost to yourself. As long as they're safe, it was worth it."

"They can hate me for it, but at least they're alive to hate me," Tala said, sipping her coffee.

"Come to Star Labs. Your dreams comment led the boys to believe Lucid Dreaming is the answer. We could use another mechanical engineer to create the right devices to enable Cisco to watch his dream," Caitlin said, standing. Tala nodded, reaching into the bottom drawer of her desk, drawing out a small bottle of water.

"Just in case someone wants to hit me again," Tala smiled, grabbing her phone, she shoved it in her bag, following Caitlin out of her building. "How did you get in here anyway?"

"I let her in," Cody said, leaning against the car. "I've followed you for the past two years, Kyle and I even moved from Starling City to be with you. I'm not quitting because you made a dumb decision. Trust me, you've made plenty."

Cody opened the back door, letting Caitlin and Tala climb in. He drove them to Star Labs, where the girls realized they were the first ones there. Tala led Caitlin down to Cisco's work space, picking up things she thought she would need to create something to help him.

"He needs to be in REM, but conscious enough to remember what's happening, or relay it back to us in real time," Tala said, filling the silence with an explanation. "We need the color green, can you reach that green Plexiglas sheet on the top shelf? These were originally for an idea for Hartley's birthday, good thing he turned on us."

"Why green?" Caitlin asked, handing it to Tala.

"Blue light keeps people awake, like the blue light on computers and cell phones. It's why you can't sleep if you've recently been on your phone. Yellow has the opposite effect. It's why your eyes get heavy after looking at sunlight. I think if we combine the two into a green filter, with specific neural pulses..."

"I could dream and tell you what's happening at the same time," Cisco finished from the doorway. The two engineers looked at each other, before Tala looked back down at her work.

"Exactly. I just need to find the right wavelength trigger, which you might be able to do better than me, Koneko. Sorry, Cisco," Tala said, glancing up at him, then back to the glasses. "It'll take me a while to break that habit."

"It's okay. Give me the glasses, I'll work on the wavelength trigger," Cisco said, sitting opposite her. He handed her her coffee thermos, making her smile. "I'm gonna need the sauter pen and an exacto knife."

Tala nodded and dug for the requested items. Barry came running in ten minutes later.

"Are we working with her again?" Barry asked, looking between Cisco and Tala. Caitlin placed her hand on Tala's shoulder protectively.

"She did bad things, for a good reason. I'm not asking you two to go back to the way things were," Caitlin said, looking at the boys. "But I'm asking you to trust my judgment. I think she needs to be here."

"If for no other reason than to protect us from Wells' wrath when he finds out we know," Cisco said, not looking up from his adjustments.

"Alright," the speedster said, nodding to Tala. "So these will allow you to see into your dream?"

"Lucid-Dream therapy is a real thing, therapists think it can be used to help people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder," Caitlin explained.

"Huh, traumatized, check," Cisco scoffed, putting down the pen and knife. Tala started putting them away. "Stressed, check."

"The theory is that it will allow people to enter their dreams and face their fears," Caitlin said, rolling her eyes, making Tala smile softly.

"And you're sure this thing isn't gonna, you know, mess with my brain?" Cisco asked, looking between Tala and Caitlin.

"It'll just send you into a waking REM state. The worst side effects are going to come from experiencing the dream," Tala explained. "And it might not mean much, but I'll be there the whole time. Lucid-dreaming isn't that bad, we did it back in the League."

"Who's going to be Lucid-Dreaming?" Harrison said as he wheeled himself into the room.

"Since the accelerator went off, and with all the psycho Metahumans running around, Caitlin thought it was a good idea to create a way for people to understand better what was happening," Tala said quickly. "People fear what they don't know, and it's only a matter of time before psychological issues appear."

"So the dreaming would allow doctors to help their patients better, intriguing," Harrison said. "Of course, you would still need to guide the patient from the outside, right? Direct them to specific aspects of the dream."

"We're still working on a communications interface. That's more biological than Tala and I can easily design," Cisco said, smiling at Tala. She was sure she was the only one that saw the war in Cisco's eyes. Tala smiled sadly, understanding what was going on with him; she had the same conflict when her father was revealed as the villain in her first year as the Blue Hood.

"When we dream, the middle brain lights up with electrical energy, whereas the higher brain remains dormant," Harrison explained, wheeling himself over to a computer. "Once we find a way to make both parts of the brain active, then it's just a matter of finding the frequency that will stimulate the language center."

"Then the dreamer could speak," Caitlin said, her interest in the topic briefly overriding her fear of Harrison. Tala looked at Cisco, her eyes starting to turn blue, worried about their safety. Cisco quickly wrapped his arm around her, calming her and her powers down. Tala leaned her head against his shoulder tiredly. "He could describe his dream."

"Exactly," Harrison said, his energy showing genuine excitement. "I would try a frequency of forty-five hertz to start."

"That'll activate the speech centers, without causing lasting damage or setting off any pain sensors," Tala said, running through a few math equations. "Thank you, Harrison."

"Of course," Harrison said, turning to leave. "Tala, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Cisco froze, his arm still around Tala's waist. He tightened his grip before Tala smiled happily at him, no amount of panic or fear in her eyes. He let go of her, watching her follow Wells out of the room.

"Sure, Harrison. Lead the way," Tala said, unconcerned, smiling slightly at Cisco's reaction. She wondered if it meant that there was a chance for forgiveness. Eobard led her to his office.

"Is everything alright with them?" Eobard asked, closing the doors as he stood up from his wheelchair. "They seem a little jumpy."

"They're fine," Tala said, rolling her eyes. "You just have a habit of appearing in doorways without warning. Normally I warn them that you're coming."

"Alright, I'd hate to have to go back on my word," Eobard threatened, vibrating his hand briefly, holding it in front of the assassin's face. Tala glared at him, knocking him backwards.

"You wouldn't dare, Eobard," Tala growled, her eyes turning blue. "Because I am a fight you cannot win, remember the day you and the Flash vanished? You couldn't beat me then, and you can't beat me now."

"I don't need to beat you, Tala," Eobard said, grabbing her and shoving her against the wall, pulling her knife out of the holster on her wrist and pressing it to her throat. "I can kill Cisco and you will fall. If I kill Cisco you will have nothing. You will be mine at that point, because you won't have anyone else."

Eobard put the knife down on the table, watching the assassin sink to the ground. He sat back down in his wheelchair and left the room. Tala pulled out her phone as it rang, shaking her out of her fear.

"Eddie?" She asked, glancing at the caller ID. "You're not going to punch me again, are you?"

"No, but I need your help," he said. "Can you meet me at Jitters, like now?"

"Sure, yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Tala said, ending the call. She walked back to the lab, where Cisco and Caitlin were still working on the goggles.

"Oh my God, you're bleeding!" Cisco said, glancing up at Tala, who touched her hand to her neck, pulling it away red. "What happened?"

"Forget it. I'll heal," Tala pulled the bottle of Lazarus water out and rubbed some of it over the cut. "You guys need to be less jumpy, Wells is getting anxious."

"Did he threaten you?" Caitlin asked, looking at her with worry in her eyes.

"No, he threatened Cisco. He made the very good point that if he kills Cisco I won't have anything else to fight for," Tala said, sighing. "Just, be careful, I have to go, Eddie needs my help with something."

Tala turned and left, heading for the garage, where Cody was sitting, working on a crossword puzzle.

"Jitters please, Cody. I need to help a cop," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Tala, there you are. Come on, we're not staying here," Eddie said as soon as Tala entered the building. The detective grabbed her arm, and walked her backwards out of the coffee shop, ignoring her bewildered face.

"Where are we going then?" Tala asked, pulling her arm from his grip and turning to walk alongside him. Eddie directed her into a jewelry shop, answering her question. Tala looked up to the sky for help, guessing why Eddie wanted to shop there. "You need help choosing an engagement ring. Right."

"It needs to be perfect for Iris. Joe doesn't like me and doesn't want me proposing to her," Eddie explained, leading the way to the case of diamond rings. "But I love her, and she deserves the best ring I can buy."

"You mean the best I can buy. Because I'm here, it's going on my card," Tala said, holding her credit card up. "Alright, what's her size?"

Tala shook her head, wondering how things were going to pan out between Eddie and Iris with Iris being married to Barry in a few years. She frowned, confusing herself with all the talk of time travel and time lines.

Eddie and Tala walked into CCPD, Tala planning on checking on Barry and making sure he was alright, before checking back in at Star Labs with Cisco and Caitlin. Eddie instantly went over and pulled Iris into a kiss, while Tala gave Barry a sympathetic look. The speedster shrugged at Tala, knowing he couldn't do anything yet.

"Barry, can I grab you for a second?" Eddie asked as he pulled away from his girlfriend.

"Yeah, sure," Barry said, smiling again. Tala rolled her eyes, knowing Barry wanted to hit Eddie more than Harrison at the moment.

"Can you call me when you're done? It's really important," Iris said, looking at Barry.

"I'll make sure he does. See you around Iris," Tala said, following the boys over toward the elevators.

"What's up, Eddie?" Barry asked as Tala joined them. Eddie reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box and opened it to show Barry. Barry blinked rapidly in shock, not expecting it. He glanced at Tala who shrugged. "Oh, oh um, what did she say? Wait, you still have it which means you haven't asked her yet. Or you did ask her and she said...?"

"I was gonna propose tonight. We just bought the ring this morning," Eddie said, gesturing to himself and Tala. Barry sent her a glare, while smiling at Eddie. Tala shrugged again. "But I went to Joe to ask for his blessing, and he said no. Repeatedly. I need you to talk to him and find out why."

Tala and Barry shared bewildered looks, both knowing that Barry would rather give up his speed than do this for Eddie. Tala turned her look to Eddie, wanting an explanation.

"Look, I know me asking you like this, it's a little awkward. But you know how heartbroken she'll be if she finds out that Joe's not on board," Eddie said. Tala turned as the elevator dinged and she felt Cisco and Caitlin's energies. She smiled around Eddie and Barry at them.

"Yeah, yeah, alright. I'll talk to him," Barry agreed, trying to move toward his lab.

"Thanks. I appreciate it so much," Eddie gushed, making Tala bite back a snort. "And so will the future Mrs. Thawne. Iris Thawne, it sounds good, doesn't it?"

"I think she's going to want to hyphenate," Barry and Tala said as Eddie walked away. They walked toward the stairs where Cait and Cisco were hesitating, waiting for them. The four of them walked up to the lab, where Cisco started pacing nervously while Caitlin and Tala set up a spot to monitor Cisco's vitals.

"Okay, can we go over this again?" Cisco asked nervously as Joe walked in. Tala pushed her powers out, encasing the room in a bubble no one could get in.

"Yes. You put the glasses on, fall asleep, and start dreaming," Caitlin explained. Tala smiled and felt with her powers around the precinct. When she opened her eyes, they were blue and her nails were claws again. "Not that hard."

"Except I'm pretty sure I die in this dream," Cisco said, adjusting the monitor around his chest. He reached over and pulled Tala closer, positioning her by his side as he sat down on the bed. Tala took his hand in hers, watching curiously as her powers moved, allowing them skin contact. The tendrils wrapped around Cisco's forearm as if it were an extension of Tala's body, linking them together. "If I go back into it, will I die in real life? What are we talking about here, is this _Inception_ or _Dreamscape_?"

"Here," Joe said, holding out a glass of warmed milk. "Drink this."

"What am I, five?" Cisco asked.

"Just drink it," Joe said, shaking his head. Tala smiled, feeling Cisco's energy more prominently than she ever had.

"Okay, I'll drink it," Cisco parroted, throwing back the milk like a shot.

"You are going to be fine, Little One," Tala said, her voice different, sounding ethereal, but clear. "I will not leave your side."

Cisco shook himself before laying down. Caitlin put the glasses on the engineer as Tala gently pushed the hair out of his face with her free hand.

"The glasses are emitting a low-level Delta wave, which should help you fall asleep," Caitlin said.

"Okay, I gotta warn you though, usually it takes me a long time," Cisco rambled nervously. Tala squeezed his hand, reminding him that she was still there. "I mean, I'm not saying I'm an insomniac or anything..."

He trailed off as he fell asleep, Tala smiled at him, using her free hand to card her fingers through his hair, taking care to make sure she didn't cut him with her nails.

"Ah, so that's how you get him to shut up," Joe said.

"Maybe I should mass manufacture these for insomniacs. Could increase revenue for Merlyn Industries," Tala muttered to herself.

"He's entering REM," Caitlin said excitedly. "It's working!"

"Little One, can you hear me?" Tala asked, looking down at him. She sat on the edge of the bed, smiling gently. "You're dreaming, Kitten."

"Whoa, guys," Cisco said sleepily. "This is mad freaky!"

Tala exchanged excited looks with Caitlin, glad their plan to see into Cisco's dream was working. Barry stepped forward, nodding to Tala.

"Okay, well, um, where are you?" Barry asked, shrugging his shoulders. Tala closed her eyes and felt for Cisco's energy. She started in surprise when she turned to face him. Tala looked around.

"We're in the parking lot of Star Labs. Leonard is here, he just dropped me off," Tala said. She looked down at herself, seeing an Iron Heights jumpsuit. "I think he just broke me out of prison. Cisco just came running up to us."

"You can see his dream?" Caitlin asked. Tala looked around, confused. Caitlin's voice came from everywhere. "How is that possible?"

"I think it's my powers, they connected me and Cisco when I took his hand," Tala said, looking around. In the dream, Tala followed Cisco down to the trap room, changing out of the jumpsuit and into leggings and a Star Labs T-shirt.

"What are your dream selves doing?" Barry asked.

"Caitlin just left before Tala got here, we had asked her to take Wells to Jitters," Cisco said, as they walked down from Tala's gym to the trap room.

"Why did you want Wells out of the lab?" Barry asked.

"Because the trap was sabotaged by him. The Reverse Flash in the force field was a hologram," Tala said. "Cisco suspected and wanted to check. I was there for his safety."

"We're walking to the trap room," Cisco said, glancing around. He noticed his shirt, one he hadn't been able to find. "Oh, man, I love this shirt. I thought the dryer ate it!"

"Focus, Cisco," Barry said. Behind him, Tala could hear Joe laughing.

"We're running tests on the containment system," Tala said from the dream. "The sun just came up outside."

"This data, it doesn't make any sense," Cisco said. Dream Tala ran over and looked over his shoulder. He frowned and walked over to the generators to check their readings.

"The generators might be giving off different readings, because according to the capacitors, nothing was wrong," Tala said, watching Cisco work. "Cisco just adjusted the generator's power. The force field came online, and the man in yellow is here."

"Oh, God," Dream Cisco said, turning around to face the elevator. Tala turned, noticing she was in her armor. "Wells is here."

"Cisco, it's just a dream, he can't hurt you," Caitlin soothed. Tala tightened her grip on Cisco's hand, accidentally drawing blood from his palm with her nails.

"You better be right about that!" Cisco responded. In the dream, he looked at Tala.

"You and I have never been properly introduced, though I'm surprised Tala never told you. I am Eobard Thawne," Dream Wells said.

"Eobard Thawne," Cisco repeated for the team to hear. In the real world, Tala had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Thawne, like Eddie Thawne?" Joe asked.

"You killed Nora Allen," Cisco accused, turning back to face Tala, who despite being in a dream, looked heartbroken.

"It was never my intention," Dream Eobard said, closing the laptop.

"Wait, Nora, what about my mom?" Barry asked.

"He's confessing to what he did," Tala explained, breathing heavily from the emotional pain she was in in the dream. "He didn't want to kill her, he was after you, Barry."

The EKG monitor went off, and Caitlin turned to it in a panic. Tala leaned forward slightly, as if to protect the sleeping Cisco.

"His blood pressure is two hundred and his heart rate is one forty seven," Caitlin read off. "Guys, he's losing higher brain function. Cisco, you're going to be okay, it's just a dream, you're going to be okay."

"His hand, it's vibrating. He's going to kill me!" Cisco said in the Dream. Tala stepped around him, putting herself in between Cisco and Eobard. "Tala stepped in between us. She's arguing to save me. Oh God, he's killed her."

"I love you, Koneko. I'm so sorry I never told you. I guess I am my father's daughter," Dream Tala said from the ground, blood pouring out of her mouth. She watched as Eobard stepped over her.

"Oh my God, he's gonna have a stroke," Caitlin said, looking at Cisco's vitals.

"Get him out of there!" Barry demanded, circling the bed to get next to Caitlin. Tala watched from the floor as Cisco begged Caitlin for help before Eobard killed him. In the real world, Cisco sat up, jerking the glasses off his face with his free hand. Tala's eyes opened, still blue. They were both panting, but still holding hands. Tala pushed Cisco's hair out of his face with her free hand, before pulling apart their linked hands. She noticed the blood on his hand, realizing she had cut him. Tala knelt down on the ground next to the bed.

"Cisco, I am so sorry I didn't protect you," Tala said, staring down at her palm. She drug her sharpened thumbnail across it, watching as blood welled up in her hand. "I will never fail to protect you again. On my blood I swear this. On my title as Warith al Ghul and Warith al Sahir, I swear to you."

Tala held her bloody palm up to Cisco, who looked down at her, understanding what she was doing. He placed his own cut palm over top of hers, letting their blood mix together.

"I accept your oath as your bond," Cisco said formally, remembering the words she had once told her about. The team watched as Tala's powers wrapped around their hands, not locking them together as they had earlier, but creating a knot around them. "Should you fail to keep your word, your blood and titles become mine. Should you fail, your life will be forfeit and mine to do with as I desire. Now stand up. Please, Tala, it wasn't your fault."

Tala stood, looking at their joined hands with tears in her eyes. She lunged forward, pulling him into a hug, clutching him tightly as her powers dispelled.

"I never want to watch you die again. Eobard will die for his sins," Tala hissed angrily as she pulled away from Cisco. "He has broken his word, thus his life is mine to take."

Barry sat down on a chair, heartbreak in his eyes. Joe turned away from the assassin and the engineer to face his adopted son.

"Barry?" Joe asked, Tala and Cisco turned, Cisco taking her hand, not noticing it was already healed.

"My mom," Barry said sadly. "This was my fault."

Barry's phone rang, shaking him out of his sadness briefly. Tala turned back to Cisco, helping him take the monitors off.

"Come home tonight?" Cisco asked her quietly in Spanish. "I can't completely forgive you, nor do I know where this leaves us, but you don't have to sleep in your office anymore."

Tala nodded, blinking tears out of her eyes. She smiled softly, placing her hand over his heart. Cisco pushed her hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear as Barry turned to face them.

"Doctor Wells! Yeah, sorry, yeah. It's a bad connection right now," Barry said, looking at Tala and the group in a panic. "Why? What's going on?"

Barry put the phone on speaker and walked over to the team.

"A fire? Where?" Tala asked, forcing her voice to remain neutral.

"New Brighton. Bradford Tower High-rise," Harrison told them.

"I know that building. That's where Captain Singh's fiancé works," Joe said, looking worriedly at Barry.

"On my way!" Barry said, ending the call and running off. Tala sighed and turned to look at Caitlin and Cisco.

"Tomorrow, we plan how to catch him, how to get Eobard to confess to Cisco," Tala said. "We recreate the dream, except I will protect Cisco better. I won't let anything hurt you."

Tala stared at her armor on its stand in her gym, wondering why she had made the choices she had. She wondered if it was because of her father, all the bad choices he had made, if they had followed her thanks to their shared genetics.

"Tala?" Eddie asked, hovering just outside the room. Tala turned to face him, waving for him to enter the room. "Are you okay?"

"Two days ago you and Cisco wanted to beat me to death. Now the two of you are concerned with my mental health," Tala said, leaning against the wall. "I'm just questioning the choices I've made, and why I made them. I used to faint at the sight of blood. Now I have a list of deaths that are my fault, somewhere in the triple digits. I've sided with the bad guys just as often as I have the good ones, and now I'm questioning why that is."

"You're not a bad person, Tala," Eddie said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Sure, you've made questionable decisions, but you had honorable intentions."

"Not always. In Starling, I killed because I wanted to. My brother had to make me swear that I would save killing for a last resort, to honor my late brother, Tommy," Tala said, pulling out a picture of her and Tommy. "When I came here, I wasn't planning on staying, even after the explosion. This place, nothing horrible happens here, I'm not needed to be an assassin, I feel like this whole year has been one big identity crisis. I don't always have honorable intentions. I was the main person behind Snart and Rory getting out of prison. Well, they would've gotten out anyway, Leonard's sister showed up too. It wasn't honor, it was fun, fighting with him, so I let him go."

"Just because he was fun to fight with?" Eddie asked.

"He didn't want to kill me, I didn't want to kill him," Tala said, shrugging. "He was fun to fight, with high stakes, but knowing I'd always walk away perfectly fine, if only suffering from recoverable injuries. In the League, we would call people like him, _Halif,_ it doesn't translate completely, but it means essentially someone you would work with, but at the risk of a dagger in the back. He is my _Halif_ in Central City. Talia was mine in the League. She actually did stab me."

"Your life confuses me," Eddie laughed, leading Tala out of the gym to the trap room, where everyone else was going to meet them. "Also, how do people not know its you, under the hood? Your tattoos and hair are surprisingly distinctive."

"I have Emma for that. She looks exactly like me except for the hair and the tattoos," Tala laughed. "When Quentin Lance, back in Starling City, suspected me and Al Sa-him of being the hoods, he had a friend go out in the green hood, and Emma went out as me. From then on, Emma would make sure to be seen whenever I was out as a vigilante, and once or twice, she'd show up as the vigilante and try and kill me."

"Yeah, that'll throw off suspicion, also it helps that you can afford to buy off any judge, jury, and DA that wants to prosecute you," Cisco said, glancing back as they entered the room.

"That's how Alab and I got Moira Queen off the charges of five hundred and three counts of murder," Tala said, giving him a toothy grin. Cisco snorted and turned on the generators, pulling up the force field. Eddie took a startled step backward when the reverse flash appeared. Tala steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. "Peace, brother. It's a hologram."

"So Wells set up a fake showdown with a fake opponent that was never really there?" Eddie asked, turning to face Tala.

"He figured if we saw both of them together it would prove he wasn't the man in yellow," Barry said, glaring at the hologram.

"This all just keeps getting crazier and crazier," Eddie said.

"I think that is the new motto of Star Labs," Tala said, shaking her head. She crossed the room to look at the data on Cisco's tablet. She heard the elevator and quickly turned off the force field.

"I just talked to Doctor Wells," Caitlin said, walking out of the elevator. "He's attending a lecture downtown and won't be back until five."

"Alright, Cisco, Tala, you know when he get's here you need to be working on the trap so he sees you set off the hologram," Barry instructed.

"Hold on," Joe interrupted. "Isn't that in your dream when everything went all...?"

"'Kali Ma' _Temple of Doom_. Yeah, that definitely happened," Cisco said, looking evenly at Tala. She nodded, flicking her wrists as her bow staffs appeared in her hands. "But this time, we're ready for him. I originally designed the force field to prevent a speedster from getting out."

"But, we've reversed it, Tala said, following Cisco into the center of the trap. "Now it won't let one in."

Cisco activated it on his phone, before winking at Tala. She took up a defensive stance, twirling her staffs. Cisco turned to Barry and motioned for him to come at them. Barry waved for Eddie and Joe to back up before taking a few steps back himself. Barry nodded once at Cisco before running full speed at them. He bounced off the force field and crashed against the tool cart they had down there to fix the generators.

"Barry are you okay?" Caitlin asked, moving to check over the speedster. He gasped in response, rolling over to lay on his back.

"It works," Barry panted.

"Okay," Cisco said, smiling at Tala. "As long as we're inside, Wells won't be able to get near us."

"And I will be in the cortex, recording everything that happens," Caitlin said, looking around at their friends.

"As soon as we get the confession we need to free my dad," Barry said, standing up. "Tala and I are gonna get him."

"So what do I do?" Eddie asked.

"Wells also threatened Iris," Joe said, looking at his partner. "So if something goes wrong here, we need you to keep an eye on her until Wells is neutralized."

"I'll always keep Iris safe, Joe," Eddie said with a glare. Eddie left the room, and Joe looked to Barry for answers on Eddie's attitude. The two of them left the room, leaving Tala with Cisco and Caitlin.

"We do have one small problem though," Tala said, looking worriedly at the two of them. "I can usually tell what's going on with Barry and Eobard by the vibrations they give off. When I'm in the containment bubble, I can't feel what's going on outside of it."

"How is that a problem?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, he won't be able to get at us anyway," Cisco said, looking at the assassin.

"I know, I'm just nervous. And paranoid," Tala said, shaking her head. "Downside of being an assassin I guess."

"Everything is going to work. I promise," Cisco soothed, taking Tala's hand in his own. "We'll catch him and get the confession from him. It'll work."

"Here he comes," Caitlin said over the PA. Tala nodded to Cisco and he turned on the generators, starting the hologram. Tala heard the elevator come on and stepped into the bubble of protection. She swiped her staff at the Reverse Flash, watching her hand go straight through it.

"It's a hologram," Tala said as the doors to the elevator opened. She turned and saw Eobard there. Cisco shut off the force field, and Tala turned to face Eobard. She tilted her head, feeling his vibrational energy shift and change, feeling almost like his normal energy, but not quite. She shook it off as the lack of Tachyons on his person.

"Hello Cisco, Tala," Eobard greeted, standing there. Tala tightened her grip on her staff, wishing Cisco was closer to her. "You've been busy, and you broke your word. You really are incredibly clever, Cisco. Which makes me wonder why you chose her."

"Don't do this Eobard. Don't take him away from me," Tala pleaded, not sure if she was acting anymore.

"You're him," Cisco said, tilting his open palm toward Tala to get her to steady herself. "The reverse-flash. Joe was right this whole time, wasn't he?"

"Good old Joe," Eobard said, walking over to the computer. He closed it with a snap. "Joe West had his doubts all along. Even from that first night in the hospital, Joe knew something wasn't right. Cops, as inconvenient now as they will be in a hundred years."

"You killed Barry's mother," Tala called, twirling her left staff. "Tell me why."

"You know why, Tala. But, for Cisco's sake, it was never my intention to kill Nora," Eobard said. "But from my perspective, she was already dead. It just happened sooner than it was supposed to."

Eobard raised his hand, stepping toward Cisco. He quickly stumbled backwards, letting Tala pull him into her arms.

"You're not gonna get away with this," Cisco said, pulling out his phone and activating the force field. Tala flinched as her powers were cut off from outside the platform, shrinking her awareness.

"I'm not gonna get away with it?" Eobard asked, laughing at the trap. "Oh, you're smart. You're smart Cisco, you too Tala."

Tala felt ice flood her body as she realized a fatal mistake they might have just made. Eobard wasn't vibrating at all like a speedster would. If he realized their mistake, he would kill them both, again. He stepped forward slowly, crossing the barrier. Tala pulled Cisco behind her, twisting her staff into one long piece.

"But you're not that smart," Eobard said. He raised his hand, glaring at Cisco. Tala froze, feeling the energy. It wasn't him. Tala turned as she heard Joe fire off four shots, shielding Cisco. Barry caught two bullets before they crossed the barrier. Tala watched as Barry bounced off the force field. One bullet entered the chest of who Tala suspected to be Hannibal Bates, the Metahuman Barry had caught while she was in Starling City with Cisco and Joe. The other bullet hit her shoulder, knocking her backwards a step.

"He didn't confess!" Barry shouted, walking up to Cisco. Tala didn't think anyone had noticed her injury. She pressed her hand to it, trying to stem the bleeding.

"Cisco, are you okay?" Caitlin asked, running into the room.

"Yeah, I'm never going to sleep again, ever, but I'm okay," Cisco said, staring down at the body.

"It's not him," Tala said, taking a deep breath. "I felt his energy once he was in the bubble with us, it's not the reverse flash."

They all looked at the body as it shifted back into Hannibal. Tala blinked, surprised that even in death he didn't have his true face.

"I told you this before," Eobard said over the PA. "I am always one step ahead, Flash. Allow me to reintroduce to you, Mister Hannibal Bates, and his incredible ability to transform into anyone he touches."

"You knew that would come in handy as soon as you saw what he could do, didn't you, Eobard?" Tala growled, still holding her right shoulder.

"I did not expect it to come in handy this soon, however. But yes, Tala, you are correct," Eobard said.

"You used him!" Barry shouted. "Just like you used all of us!"

"He served a purpose," Eobard said. Tala could hear him grinning at them. "It didn't take much, just the promise of his freedom."

"You ruined my life! All of our lives!" Barry yelled, walking toward the elevator slowly. Caitlin and Cisco followed him, while Tala leaned backward against the generator, feeling her blood run warm down her chest, soaking into her top. She cursed herself for leaving the Lazarus waters in the cortex.

"We stood by you after everything that happened!" Caitlin added, feeling the same betrayal Barry and Cisco did.

"I can see how this must be difficult for you to understand, but trust me," Eobard said, making Tala scoff. "Your lives now are so much better because of what I have done for you."

"You don't have to hide anymore," Joe called. "We know you're not Harrison Wells. Just tell us who you are."

"A confession will get you nowhere," Eobard said. "You've seen who I am. You know what I can do."

"You wanna kill me, go ahead. I'm not gonna fight you," Barry said, looking up at the ceiling. "But just tell the police what you did. Get my dad out of prison."

"I don't want to kill you, Barry," Eobard said, his voice sounding like it had softened. "I need you. And, I did not anticipate, as difficult as the past fifteen years have been for me, how much I would come to love working with you. With all of you. And yet, that does not change what needs to happen."

"Then face us!" Tala shouted, forcing herself to stand up. "Let's finish this!"

"Oh, we will face each other again," Eobard said. "I promise you, soon. Very, Very soon."

Cisco's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out.

"He's in the Time Vault!" Cisco shouted, and Barry raced off.

"He's not going to be there, I know how he thinks, it's a set up, let's go to the Cortex," Tala gasped, pressing harder against the bullet wound. "Cisco, please."

Tala dropped her staff, letting it clatter to the ground as she swayed, leaning against the generator. Cisco and Caitlin turned to face her in surprise. Tala grinned at them, before turning to Joe as she sank to her knees.

"Your aim sucks, West." Tala pulled her hand away from her shoulder showing them the blood. "I have the waters up in the cortex, but the bullet is still lodged in there. Little help please?"

Cisco ran over, pulling the assassin into his arms, and running toward the elevator, which Caitlin had quickly summoned. He carried her up to the cortex and laid her on the hospital bed. Caitlin ran around her, pulling on surgical gloves and grabbing the tools she would need.

"Where is the water from the Lazarus pit?" Cisco asked, looking around frantically.

"In my trunk, over there. Cait, can you get it out?" Tala asked, looking up at the doctor. "I can't heal it with the bullet in my arm."

"Tala, I am so sorry," Joe said. Tala reached over and smacked his arm, rolling her eyes.

"Don't apologize until I'm dead. That should be on my gravestone," Tala said, wincing as Doctor Snow started moving the tissue around the wound to get the bullet.

"No graveyard talk," Cisco demanded, filling a syringe with the Lazarus waters. "You're going to recover, and you're going to help Barry catch Wells. Understand?"

Tala groaned, her left hand gripping the railing of the bed as Caitlin pulled the small piece of lead out of her shoulder. They all heard it clink against the tray Cisco held out as Barry raced into the room.

"We have to find Iris," Barry said, before looking at Tala. "What the hell happened to you?"

Cisco poured the water onto the wound, watching as it sealed itself up, and Tala lost the pained expression on her face. She sat up, rolling her shoulder.

"I'm fine. Why do we need to find Iris?" Tala demanded, letting Cisco help her off the bed.

"Wells has been watching all of us. He has surveillance footage set up everywhere," Barry said, storming to his Flash suit. "Our homes, my lab at the police station, Central City Picture News. Cisco, call me when you have a location."

Barry grabbed his suit and ran out, leaving them to find Iris' location. Tala shook her head, angry with herself.

"I should've noticed that he was watching us all. Why didn't I notice?" Tala muttered to herself as she pulled up traffic camera footage around the city.

"Because you were already distracted by keeping his secret from us," Cisco said, trying to ping Iris' phone. Across the cortex, Joe started calling Iris.

"Secrets, oh shit! I know where Iris is!" Tala shouted, reaching over to connect them to Barry's comms. "Barry, Eddie is proposing to Iris tonight, he's on the bridge across from the stadium."

"How do you know that?" Joe asked, looking at Tala.

"I didn't know you didn't give your blessing; I bought the ring Eddie wanted to use to propose to Iris with," Tala said, leaning against the desk. She shrugged. "Sorry Joe, if I'd known I wouldn't have."

"Wells took Eddie," Barry said as he raced into the room. "They're both gone."


	24. 124 Grodd Lives

"If one more person demands an explanation about my relationship with Francisco Ramon, I will have them removed from this meeting!" Tala thundered as she slammed her hand against the table, shaking it slightly. Cody raised his eyebrow at her from across the room. "Yes, we are close, yes, he has control of and power within this company that matches my own, but there is no ring on my finger therefore no one has any right to speculate or make demands of us."

"Merlyn Industries will remain Merlyn Industries," Cisco said as he stood up next to Tala, rolling his shoulders back to release the tension and annoyance. "If Tala and I start a relationship, and if it progresses to marriage, that will not be until years into the future, and therefore will not be anything worth discussing until one of us proposes to the other, are we understood?"

Tala and Cisco glared at the room until each member nodded or spoke their agreement.

"Thank you. Now get out," Tala barked, glaring at the board as they left. She sighed and sank into the chair at the head of the table, pinching the bridge of her nose. She looked up as she felt Kyle's energy enter the conference room. At the sight of the banker's box of paperwork in his arms, Tala groaned and dropped her head to the cool surface of the table.

"Miss Merlyn, there is a reporter here to see you, from CCPN. She says she's a friend?" Kyle said, passing the box to his husband. Tala groaned again, already exhausted with the day.

"I don't have friends anymore Kyle, Caitlin and you two are the only people that don't hate me. Send her in," Tala shook her head and accepted the cup of coffee Cisco made her with an apologetic smile.

"Do we even know anyone that works at Central City Picture News?" Cisco asked, sitting down next to her. Tala just shrugged, having decided she didn't know anything a few hours ago.

"Hey guys, can we talk?" Iris West asked as she entered the room, shadowed by Kyle. Tala sighed with relief and rose to hug the reporter.

"I forgot you worked at CCPN, thank Allah," Tala said, leading the girl over to a chair next to her and Cisco. "What's this about? You're not working on a piece about Merlyn Industries, are you?"

"Because we literally just sent an article outlining a bunch of stuff to the Daily Planet and CatCo," Cisco said, giving Iris a sheepish smile. "Most of our investors are from National City and Metropolis."

"No, I just need some help from you, Tala. Advice," Iris said, looking at the CEO. Tala nodded, encouraging her to continue. "The Flash told me not to tell anyone, but it's been a few days now, and I need your help. Eddie is missing, the man in yellow took him right in front of me."

"And if you reported him missing, it would get very complicated, I know," Tala ran her fingers through her hair, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought something through. "I'm going to get shot again, but you already know, so I don't see the big deal."

Tala stood and waved her hand, blocking the security cameras with a wave of blue matter. Iris raised an eyebrow, not able to see the nearly invisible tendrils of Tala's powers. The assassin winked at her, concentrating on her armor. As it wrapped around the woman, Iris nodded, her mouth hanging slightly open in understanding. Then she furrowed her brow and frowned at Tala.

"What do you mean you're going to get shot again?"

"Your dad accidentally shot me last week, I was protecting Cisco here from who we thought was the man in yellow but was actually the man who framed Eddie. Joe saw him as a threat and shot, hitting him and me," Tala explained, rolling her shoulders. "We are working hard to find Eddie. I have every resource at my disposal searching for Eddie and the Reverse-Flash."

"We have six different satellites looking for them and the specific energy signature speedsters give off. As soon as the Reverse-Flash uses his speed, unless he's started wearing a dampener, we will know about it," Cisco said, smiling at Iris. They watched as some of the stress fell away from the detective's daughter.

"Thank you, both of you. Your secret is safe with me, Tala," Iris said, standing. "You're both good for each other, I can see why you've been together for so long."

Iris left, not noticing the pain filled look Tala sent Cisco. Kyle came back into the conference room, carrying another box, this one filled with cameras.

"A woman named Talibah dropped these off. She threatened to stab me and use me as fertilizer in her garden," Kyle said nervously. "She also said that someone named Al Sa-him had arrived at Nanda Parbat. He had accepted his place in life."

"And so my brother has agreed. I was wondering if Ra's al Ghul's offer would work," Tala sighed sadly, picking up the box of cameras.

"What did he offer him?" Cisco asked, taking the box of paperwork.

"He brought Thea to Death's door. If Ollie accepted the offer to become Ra's al Ghul, he would allow Thea use of the Lazarus Pit," Tala said heavily. "I was threatened to stay here. I'm getting seriously tired of people threatening you to get me to agree to things. If you'll let me, I'd like to up your training, so less people can use you against me. Maybe I'll make less stupid decisions."

"No more working with the bad guys. I'll do it," Cisco agreed, leading the way out of the office. Tala pushed her armor away, letting her business clothes appear again.

"Pass me that smaller flat head, please, Cisco?" Tala asked, not looking up as Cisco threw the small screwdriver at her. She reached up and caught it, smiling gently. "These cameras are decent quality. Hey, Barry."

"Hey," the speedster greeted as he walked into the cortex. "You two planning on keeping all those cameras Wells used to spy on us? That's kind of creepy, don't you think?"

"First rule of mechanical engineering, dude," Cisco said, catching the screwdriver Tala threw back at him.

"Never waste good tech," they said together, causing Tala to snort. The assassin looked down at her phone that had started vibrating.

"Central City's Gold Reserve is under attack," she said, frowning. Tala pulled her armor on and dropped the camera on her desk, crossing the room to stand next to Barry.

"Gold? That's the case Singh wants us on," Barry said. "We'll be right back!"

Barry sped into his Flash suit before grabbing Tala and leaving the building, running toward the Gold Reserve. They skid to a halt in front of a man wearing body armor and a mask. Tala threw up a wall between them and the guards, allowing them a reprieve from the gunfire.

"Really dude, I've got so much stock in gold, if you lose me money I might literally kill you," Tala said, glaring at the mask.

"You picked a bad day for this, pal," Barry said. He took a few steps forward while Tala drew her bow and notched an arrow, looking for a chink in the armor. She froze when Barry looked like he'd suddenly gotten a migraine or a lobotomy. Tala slid to her knees to catch Barry as he fell to the ground, groaning and writhing in pain. A glance to the thief showed him reacting in a similar fashion.

"What is going on?" Tala whispered, holding Barry steady as the assailant fled. "Sarie, are you okay?"

"Let's get back to the labs," he groaned, standing shakily. Tala helped him to his feet before he ran them back. Tala called for Caitlin as they stopped in the cortex.

"I think Barry suffered a telepathic attack," Tala said to the doctor as she started checking over Barry. "We confronted the would be gold thief, but he just crumpled. I don't know why I wasn't affected."

"Your powers don't let anything near you, especially since they started mixing with the Lazarus waters," Cisco said, passing her a cup of coffee. She smiled gratefully. "I wonder if they're shielding you from mental attacks."

"Your eye movement is normal," Caitlin told Barry. "There's no sign of neurological damage."

"Do you think the thief might've been a Metahuman, who put the whammy on you or something?" Cisco asked the speedster.

"I don't know," Barry said, shrugging. "When Rainbow Raider got in my head, all I felt was anger at everyone, except Tala. But this was not that, this was... Overwhelming fear."

"The thief was disoriented too, I don't think it was them," Tala said as Cisco pulled up security camera feed. "Look, you both got whammied."

"Then you know how it feels," Iris said as she walked in. Tala blinked at the reporter. "Hi, Barry. Or should I say, the Flash?"

Cisco and Tala exchanged confused glances, wondering how she found out about Barry. Tala shook her head, indicating she didn't say anything. Barry led Iris down to the treadmill room to talk privately.

"This is one of the few times I would not want to be Barry Allen," Cisco said, looking at the muted security camera feed before looking back at Caitlin. Tala nodded her agreement, watching the body language of her two friends.

"I wonder what he's gonna say," Caitlin said, looking between Tala and the computer.

"We should absolutely not listen in," Tala said, biting her bottom lip as she grabbed the keyboard.

"It's none of our business," Cisco agreed.

"But the Flash, is our business," Caitlin said.

"And Iris did just find out that Barry is the Flash..." Cisco trailed off.

"So by the transitive property, Barry and Iris are our business!" Tala said as she turned the mic on, shamelessly eavesdropping on their conversation.

"How did you find out?" Barry asked, his body language clearly showing confusion.

"When I touched the Flash, the other night, I felt a jolt of electricity," Iris said, looking at Barry. "The only other time I had felt anything like that was when you were in a coma, after the accident. I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner."

"I can only imagine how angry you are," Barry said.

"I'm not angry, Barry," Iris said, surprising Tala. "I'm just disappointed. Does Eddie know?"

"Yes he does," Barry said after some hesitation.

"Is that why he got kidnapped?" Iris asked.

"No, I don't know why Wells took Eddie," Barry said, pacing a bit.

"Wait, Doctor Wells is the man in yellow?" Iris asked, anger and confusing coloring her tone.

"Everything he's been doing, helping me, it was all a lie," Barry explained. "Wells killed my mom."

"Is he gonna kill Eddie?" Iris asked, fear in her voice. Tala smothered a snort.

"No, he's not. Tala and I are going to get him back, I swear," Barry promised.

"Yeah, the Flash said the same thing," Iris scathed. Tala felt bad, knowing Iris was putting Barry through the same thing she was still going through since she had revealed she knew Harrison's secret.

"Look, Iris, you have to believe me. There are so many times I wanted to tell you," Barry said, upset about how he'd been ousted. "You were the first person I wanted to tell! But then everything started getting crazy. And I thought maybe Joe was right-"

"Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me that my dad knew, and he told you not to tell me?" Iris demanded, tensing. Tala closed her eyes, knowing things just got worse.

"He was trying to protect you. We both were," Barry said softly.

"Yeah, well, maybe it's time you both stopped," Iris said. She stood and left the room they were in, heading back for the cortex. Tala shut off the camera feed as Cisco grabbed the phone to fake being busy.

"I don't think that had anything to do with us," Cisco said, looking sheepishly at Tala and Caitlin. The girls shook their heads in agreement.

"Speaking of none of my business, I also keep cameras to watch us, but I keep them in public areas, and out of houses. Caitlin, I was going over footage of what happened while we were in Starling," Tala said, pulling up a video file on her tablet. "Can you explain what exactly you and Barry were doing in your lab?"

"What do you mean?" Cisco asked as Caitlin blushed violently. Tala pressed play and they watched as Barry kissed Caitlin, who wasn't exactly resisting. Cisco looked between Caitlin and the video on the tablet with wide eyes. "That's what you mean."

"That's not Barry!" Caitlin said, covering her face from embarrassment. "It was Hannibal Bates who was impersonating Barry. He kissed me."

"And you kissed back!" Tala cheered, smiling. "I say go for it, Snowbarry for the win."

"Snowbarry?" Cisco and Caitlin asked looking at her.

"Caitlin Snow and Barry, yeah, it a couple ship name. Like Harmony for Harry Potter and Hermione," Tala explained. They looked at her in confusion. "Ollie thought they were going to end up together. And you already know I'm a nerd."

"Barry and I aren't a thing, and we won't be. Ronnie will come back," Caitlin said, smiling. "It was just a shock."

"I have no doubt about that. If anyone other than Cisco kissed me I'd probably deck them," Tala said.

"Captain Singh?" Tala asked as she answered her phone.

"I need a favor from you," He said, sounding weary. "The Gold Reserve is going to move three hundred million dollars worth of gold tomorrow. Can you help protect it?"

"Considering how much stock I have in gold, you can bet your badge I'll be there to help," Tala said, dropping to the ground from her position on the Salmon Ladder. "I'll do my best. The Flash should be there too."

"Thank you, Haven," Singh said as he ended the call.

"Tala, we need to talk," Barry said, running past her gym. They grabbed Caitlin and Cisco from Cisco's lab. "I just got a call from Joe. The Central City Gold Reserve is about to transport three hundred million in gold bars to their Coast City vault."

"Singh told me to keep an eye on it, they're worried that our newest issue is going to make a move for it," Tala said, pulling at her gloves.

"Okay, but we still don't know if he's responsible for those weird images you saw," Caitlin said, looking at Barry in concern.

"How are they transporting the gold?" Cisco asked.

"You're never going to believe us," Tala said, smiling slightly.

"Dude, kill the music, before I kill you," Haven said, glaring at the driver from her spot against the back doors of the ice cream truck.

"Haven, relax," Joe said, glaring at her until she nodded curtly. "But you should turn off the music. We don't want any kids around if the thief shows up."

Haven shook her head as they started moving again, turning a corner. This was definitely the weirdest assignment she'd been on.

"How's it going on your end?" Cisco asked through her comms.

"Well the music finally stopped," Haven whispered to him in Spanish. "But this is still insanity. I should've just had them use the jet."

"It's not boring, that's for sure," Cisco laughed, following their progress on the Merlyn Industries satellite. "It's an interesting morning."

"I wanted to sleep in at some point this week. Tomorrow I'm sleeping in, everything else be damned. I'm tired, Koneko," Tala complained. "Son of a bitch!"

Tala braced herself against the wall of the back of the van as it skid to a halt, an explosion blowing out their front tires. She smelt smoke and burning rubber and knew their annoyance was there.

"Tala, Tala are you okay?" Cisco asked frantically.

"I'm fine, I get to punch something now," Tala grinned, letting her powers out in force. She felt her nails elongate and sharpen and knew her eyes were now blue.

"Is Joe okay?" Barry asked, already running toward them.

"Fine, just annoyed," Haven said, rolling her wrists and pulling out her bow. She notched an arrow in time to kick the doors outward, letting her and the security forces start exchanging fire with the thief.

Haven threw out a wall of her powers, saving a man from getting shot. She let go of two arrows, watching one of them stick in his shoulder, but it didn't seem to stop him.

"Come on, Goldfinger, why won't you go down?" Haven shouted, glaring at him. Behind her, Joe fired, pushing him backward.

"Freeze, drop your weapon!" Joe shouted. Haven stepped backward until she stood next to Joe, waiting to fire. "Don't make me do this!"

Haven grabbed Joe and pulled him out of the way as the Flash ran and shoved the thief into the side of the ice cream van. She pushed her powers away as her and Joe straightened up, looking around.

"You two okay?" Barry asked, looking at them both in concern.

"The landmine hurt. I bit my tongue," Tala said, spitting some blood on the asphalt. "What about you?"

"I didn't want you to have to shoot him again. And I'm having a pretty bad day," Barry said. Tala walked over and pulled her arrow out of his shoulder. She dropped it back in her quiver, looking down at the masked man dispassionately.

"So is this guy," Joe said, looking at him too. "Let's see what Goldfinger has to say for himself."

Joe bent down and pulled the mask off his head.

"Eiling," Tala hissed, glaring at the man. "I've got you now you son of a bitch."

Barry grabbed Eiling and Tala and raced them back to Star Labs, where they threw Eiling in a cell. The General just stood there, staring at them, like a zombie.

"What is wrong with him?" Barry asked, looking at Caitlin and Tala for answers. Tala shrugged, having no idea.

"I pulled a bullet and an arrow out of his shoulder-"

"Which trust me, hurts like hell," Tala interrupted.

"And he didn't even seem to feel it!" Caitlin continued. "I did a complete body scan, and otherwise, General Eiling is perfectly healthy."

"So why is he just standing there like a robot?" Joe asked warily.

"I just got off the phone with Argus," Cisco said as he entered the room. He absently handed Tala a cup of coffee. "Officially, Eiling is on administrative leave."

"And unofficially? Thanks, by the way," Tala said, sipping the coffee.

"I spoke with Lyla, and she said Eiling's been missing for the past three months, and Argus is covering up for it," Cisco said, shrugging. He leaned back, resting against Tala, who gently put her free hand on his waist, holding him against her.

"Makes sense. The last time we saw the General was when us and Ronnie broke Professor Stein out of that military facility," Barry said. "I bet they're covering that up too."

"So where has he been since then?" Joe asked, stepping forward to look at Eiling. "General Eiling, why were you trying to rob the Gold Reserve?"

"To make me lose money I don't doubt," Tala muttered, glaring at him from behind Cisco.

"Maybe he's in some kind of trance?" Caitlin asked when Eiling didn't react.

"General?" Barry tried, looking at him. Tala shrugged having no idea what was happening. "Do you remember me?"

"Flash," Eiling said. Tala blinked at his voice, which sounded like he'd swallowed gravel.

"How does he know you're the Flash?" Joe asked, looking between Barry and Eiling.

"I don't know," Barry said, sounding worried. "General-"

"Eiling not here," Eiling growled. Tala blinked in confusion. "Eiling, bad."

"Maybe it's some kind of psychotic break?" Caitlin suggested looking at Tala. The assassin looked between Caitlin and Eiling. "Presenting itself as dissociative identity disorder?"

"Caitlin," Eiling growled. Caitlin, Tala, and Cisco started, nervous for her. "Caitlin, good."

"Oh, uh, thank you?" Caitlin said, blinking rapidly. Tala nervously tightened her grip on Cisco's hip.

"Forget multiple personalities, you guys have seen _The Exorcist_ , right?" Cisco asked, placing his hand over Tala's.

"Yeah, you made me watch it last month," Tala said, pressing her forehead against Cisco's shoulder.

"You two and your movies," Joe said, rolling his eyes. "Keep talking to him, he seems to respond to you."

"Why is Eiling bad?" Barry asked. Tala snorted, already having a lecture and a half as to why the General was a bastard.

"Eiling, hurt me," Eiling said. Tala wondered about his voice, and why it didn't flow well. "I hurt Eiling."

"Okay. So if you're not Eiling, who are you?" Barry asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"I am Grodd. Fear me," Eiling growled. Tala felt Cisco tense up against her, and Caitlin's energy shifted too.

"What is a Grodd?" Barry and Tala asked, looking at Caitlin and Cisco. Cisco took Tala's hand and led them up to the cortex where he pulled up an old video. It showed a gorilla in a cage.

"Oh. Grodd is a gorilla," Barry said cheerfully, looking at Tala with dread.

"Five years ago, Eiling and Wells were working on a project to expand soldier's cognitive abilities during combat," Cisco said.

"What we didn't know was that Eiling was trying to create soldiers with psychic abilities," Caitlin added.

"What do you mean psychic?" Joe asked, looking at the bioengineer.

"Eiling wanted telepaths and telekinetics for better interrogation techniques," Tala said, rubbing her right shoulder. "Before he came to Wells, he tried to do the same thing in the army. I shut him down very forcibly. It's the closest thing Eiling ever came to being reprimanded."

"When Wells found out about the terrible experiments Eiling was doing, he shut down the entire project," Caitlin said.

"So our psycho killer has a soft spot for animals," Joe sassed. "That's sweet."

"But what happened to Grodd?" Tala asked, looking back at the footage.

"We don't know," Caitlin said. Tala looked at her, confused. "After the particle accelerator exploded, I went down to check on him and his cage was empty."

"I'm sorry," Tala said, looking at Caitlin. "How do you lose a gorilla? He could've been affected by the same thing that affected me and Barry. Great, I thought our issue was a Metahuman, turns out, it's a Metagorilla!

"When the dark matter hit Grodd, all the drugs and serums that Eiling injected him with could've activated," Cisco said, thinking out loud. "I think we know what happens when a super intelligent ape who's pissed off at humans escapes captivity."

"I hated that movie, it still freaks me out," Tala grumbled, pouting.

"Cisco's right, about the first part," Caitlin said, sitting down at a computer. "This is the first brain scan I did on Grodd."

"Woah, his primary motor cortex and Broca's area are lit up like a Christmas tree!" Barry said, looking at the brain scans on the monitors.

"From Eiling's experiments," Caitlin nodded. "And this is the brain scan I just did on Eiling. His brain is lit up in the exact same way."

"So Grodd and Eiling are connected somehow," Joe inferred.

"It's Firestorm all over again," Tala said, looking between the two scans. "Just like Ronnie and Martin, Eiling and Grodd are merged. Grodd is in control of Eiling's body."

"I think that somehow, Grodd is transmitting neural signals to Eiling's primary motor cortex," Caitlin said, agreeing with Tala. "Mind control, telepathy, who knows what Grodd is capable of now?"

"What do we think Grodd wants? Revenge?" Barry asked.

"I do not like the fact that Wells rescued Grodd," Joe said. "I don't think it's a coincidence that this gorilla shows up at the very same time we're looking for Wells."

"Wells and Grodd did have a special bond," Caitlin said, worsening the bad feeling Tala had.

"Do we think Wells is using Grodd to distract us?" Tala asked, moving over to sit next to Cisco.

"If we find Grodd, we find Wells," Joe said. "If we find Wells-"

"We find Eddie," Iris said, storming into the cortex. Tala looked up at her, surprised. "And I'm gonna help."

"Know anything about gorillas?" Caitlin and Tala asked, smiling at the reporter.

"I just might," Iris said, moving toward the computers. "There have been reports of some sort of animal down in the sewers."

Tala and Cisco moved to hover behind her, watching her pull up article after article.

"Alligators," Cisco said, causing Tala to roll her eyes and lean against him. Joe looked at him for an explanation. "C.H.U.D's, R.O.U.S's?"

"Are we the only one that watches movies around here?" Tala asked him, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"A few months ago," Iris said, pulling them back on track. "Two sewer workers went missing. The search party reported hearing strange, animal-like noises down in the tunnels."

"Where exactly did they go missing?" Barry asked. Tala got a horrible feeling she was about to follow Joe into the sewers.

"Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street," Iris read out.

"There's an access point to the sewers about two blocks east of that intersection," Cisco said, moving to sit at the computer and pull up satellite feed.

"I'll start there," Barry said. Tala nodded and moved away from Cisco, pulling her armor on. She let her powers flow out around her, changing her eye color and sharpening her nails.

"Not alone. I'm coming too." Joe and Haven looked at each other surprised they'd said the same thing.

"Huh. Wading through miles of rats, roaches, and human excrement, count me out," Cisco said. Haven, Joe and Barry gave him the same look. "Count me in."

"It's your monkey," Haven scoffed. "Let's go, Cody can drive us in a Star Labs van."

The four of them went down to the garage and loaded up a van with things they would need. Haven looked around, feeling the vibrations of everything around her. She turned as Joe lit a flare, setting it off to the side.

"Cisco, Haven, take these flares, light them, drop them as we go. They're our way back," Joe said passing a duffle bag to Cisco. "Give me that banana. Okay, stay close."

"Definitely," Barry agreed. Haven held open the bag for Cisco to grab a flare. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.

"I'm not going anywhere," Cisco said, adjusting his helmet. Haven felt the vibrations of the sewers and the city. They followed Joe, Cisco and Haven dropping flares and leaving pieces of tendrils behind to mark their way back to the van where Cody was waiting.

"I can't believe I'm down here looking for a supernatural gorilla," Joe said. "I'm terrified of regular gorillas!"

"I can't believe my definition of weird keeps changing," Haven replied, rolling her eyes. "I thought Metahumans were the strangest thing I'd see. What's next, my father as Ra's al Ghul? Alternate Realities?"

Next to her Cisco scoffed, dropping another flare. Haven heard metal clang against a pipe and she pulled the engineer behind her, shielding him.

"What was that?" He asked. Joe's flashlight revealed a rat. Haven laughed picking up the furry creature and tapping it on the nose affectionately. She set it back on the ground, letting it scurry away when Barry and Cisco shuddered.

"Guys, you may want to see this," Haven said, taking a few steps forward. She traced her hands over scratches in the concrete. "Grodd."

"This is incredible," Cisco said, looking at the writing. "Looks like we're in the right place."

"Will somebody tell me what we're looking at here?" Joe asked, looking around.

"Grodd. He's evolving," Barry said nervously. "He's getting smarter."

"Getting smarter, great," Joe said. Haven drew her bow, notching an arrow. She glanced at Cisco, trying to keep him safe.

"That's just what we need," Haven said. She froze when she felt a huge energy signature up ahead. Grodd was there. He started growling, causing Haven to snarl in response, rising to his challenge.

"If I hadn't seen _Jurassic Park_ , I wouldn't be nearly as frightened right now," Cisco said. Haven stepped in front of him, pulling her bow back as Barry and Joe aimed their guns in the direction of Grodd's energy.

"So if he's getting smarter, do you think he's getting bigger too?" Joe asked anxiously. There was a loud rumbling, seemingly coming from all around them. "That must've been a truck passing over, right?"

Haven heard Grodd near them, and felt his energy. It was large and painful and angry. Barry called out, clutching his head in pain. Haven staggered, loosening the tension of her bowstring as Grodd's energy became overwhelming.

"Cisco, Cisco are you okay?" Haven asked, feeling for his energy. She knelt down, reinforcing her powers around her, blocking Grodd.

"We need to get out of here!" Joe shouted, firing his shotgun. Haven blinked and focused on Cisco, who was shaking Barry.

"Barry's out cold!" The engineer protested.

"I'll carry him," Haven growled, shoving her arrow back into the quiver and folding her bow up. She pulled the unconscious speedster into her arms and up onto her shoulders as she felt Grodd's energy lunge. She turned and saw Joe appear to fly upward.

"Joe!" Cisco and Tala shouted. Grodd had Joe, Haven looked at Cisco with concern. She knelt, pushing down and stood, carrying Barry.

"We need to get Barry back to the labs so Caitlin can check him out. Then I'm coming back down here and I'm going to find Joe," Tala said, pushing her powers down. Cisco looked into her brown eyes and nodded, grabbing their things and leading the way out.

Tala carried Barry back to where they entered the sewers and let Cisco climb out first. She wrapped her powers loosely around Barry, keeping him secured to her as she climbed out of the sewers. Cody and Cisco helped her out, pulling Barry into the van.

"Where's Joe?" Cody asked. Tala gave him a dark look.

"Grodd has him. We need to get Barry back to Caitlin, then I'm going in after him," Tala said. She didn't see the worried look Cody gave her in the mirror as he drove.

"You're experiencing a spike of activity in your primary motor cortex," Caitlin explained to Barry as she looked at his brain scans. "It's the same thing we saw in Eiling. The images you saw were some kind of psychic attack by Grodd."

"First Eddie gets taken by the man in yellow, now my dad..." Iris trailed off, leaning against Tala. Tala rubbed Iris' back, trying to soothe her.

"We're gonna save both of them. I promise you," Barry said, pulling the sensors off of his head.

"Hold up," Cisco said. "I put a tracker in the tranq dart you shot Grodd with. As soon as it activates."

"No, I'm not waiting. Grodd doesn't affect me, and I can and will search the sewers for Joe," Tala said, standing. "I'm not letting Iris lose her father, and I'm not letting Wells take anything else from us."

"I'm coming too. I will search every inch of that sewer if I have to," Barry said, nodding to Tala.

"And what happens if you find them?" Caitlin asked. Tala pulled out her sword, twirling it around in a circle as way of an answer. "What happens if Grodd takes over your mind the way he did Eiling?"

"I can protect him, the same way I protect myself. If I wrap him in my powers, Grodd shouldn't be able to affect him at all," Tala said, waving her hand out toward Barry, encasing him in tendrils.

"And what if you get knocked out?" Barry asked. "Can't you and Cisco just, make me some tech that can protect me?"

"We could, maybe if Doctor Wells were here," Cisco said, shrugging sadly. Tala knew he was right. Even with the two engineers and Caitlin, they were still out of their depth with mind control.

"I don't understand," Iris said, looking at them. "Everyday you guys figure out a way to help people. All of their powers and all this equipment, and you can't save Eddie and my dad?"

Iris stormed out of the room, leaving four people trying to think of a solution. Tala didn't know if they could do anything besides wrapping Barry in her powers, but she knew the speedster was right when he said that he would be vulnerable if she fell.

"We'll figure something out," Caitlin said. Tala and Cisco nodded along, determined to help find Joe and Eddie. Barry nodded and left, leaving the three alone. Tala leaned against Cisco, trying to think of something to help Barry. Cisco reached up to run his finger through her hair, accidentally passing a static shock to her.

"Ouch. Wait, that's brilliant," Tala said, standing up straight and looking at Caitlin and Cisco excitedly.

"Static shocks are brilliant?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala like she was insane. Tala nodded.

"A magnetic strip that sends out low level pulses should be able to prevent Grodd from taking over Barry's mind," Tala explained, pulling her powers into her hands and molding a rough design out of them.

"How did you get from static to magnetic?" Caitlin asked. Tala shrugged.

Cisco nodded along, catching the idea rather quickly before he ran into his workshop and started building a mock up. After biological input from Caitlin and a few calculations from Tala, the three of them had a working model. Barry met them in the cortex once it was finished.

"An anti-telepathy strip, Tala's idea," Cisco said, shooting the assassin in question a proud smile. "It uses magnetic resonance to neutralize any foreign neurological stimulus."

"So it'll protect Barry from being mind controlled?" Iris asked.

"That's the hope. But we have no way of knowing if it actually works," Caitlin said. Tala frowned as she pulled on her armor. She gripped her sword's hilt anxiously, already preparing to fight a huge gorilla.

"It'll work," Barry reassured, confident in their abilities to create good tech. Tala turned as the computer went off.

"The tracker just came online!" Cisco said, moving to look at the screen. "We have Grodd's location."

Barry sped off and changed into his suit before moving to stand in front of Iris.

"Iris, I want you to know, all the times I've imagined you being here, it was not like this."

"Barry, let's go. Joe isn't going to save himself," Tala said, pulling her powers around her. Tala winked at Cisco as Haven took over, rolling her neck and shoulders to release tension. Haven jumped on Barry's back as he took off, racing to where the Metagorilla was keeping Joe.

"Barry, what's your ETA?" Cisco asked over comms.

Barry dropped Haven off at the closest entrance to the sewers, before running off again, getting into position. Haven pulled her hood up, grinning slightly.

"Alright, we're in position," Barry said. "Wait for my signal," Cisco ordered, and Haven smiled under the hood.

"My Little Kitten, so wonderful when he's in charge," Haven muttered to herself. She unsheathed her sword, twirling it a few times to reacquaint herself with the one handed grip.

"So the red, that's Barry?" Haven heard Iris ask, over comms. Caitlin confirmed what she thought. "And the blue?"

"Is Grodd," Caitlin said. Haven suspected that they must have the different GPS signals pulled up on the screen.

"I thought I was blue, Cait?" Haven asked, laughing softly.

"Normally yes, but your GPS doesn't work when you're completely coated in your powers. So Grodd is appearing as blue," Caitlin explained.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Cisco said. Haven waited a few seconds, hoping what her Kitten was doing worked. "The steam's working. Grodd's on the move."

"I don't understand, what's the plan?" Iris asked.

"Cisco is maneuvering Grodd into a tunnel five point three miles from Barry," Caitlin explained. Haven pushed, creating walls on either side of Barry's path, clearing it of obstacles and cross winds.

"So Barry can do what?" Iris asked.

"The same thing he did to Girder," Haven said, chuckling at the memory of that fight.

"Supersonic punch, baby!" Cisco and Haven cheered.

"Hit it!" Cisco shouted. Haven lowered her walls as Barry's vibrational energy passed, allowing traffic and everything else to pass again. She felt Barry's energy meet Grodd's. Haven turned and watched Grodd catch the punch and throw Barry.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Haven cursed, running into the tunnel.

"It's okay, Cisco," Barry reassured, standing and facing Grodd. "The headset's working."

"Okay, try some speed punches on him. Tala, go find Joe," Cisco said. Haven nodded and sheathed her sword, moving around the gorilla/speedster face off to try and track down Joe's energy. She kept feeling for their energies, making sure Barry was okay. She felt a shock hit Barry's energy, and heard a crash through his comms.

"Oh no, the headset's offline," Caitlin said.

"It sounded like it impacted with something," Cisco said.

"Barry's brain activity is off the charts! Worse than last time," Caitlin said. "Tala you need to go help him!"

"What's happening to him?" Iris asked,

"Grodd's attacking him psychically," Caitlin explained. "He's paralyzed."

"Oh come on!" Cisco complained. "There's a service train coming!"

"Do something, please!" Iris begged.

"I can't stop the train without totaling it, and I can't get around Grodd to get to Barry," Haven said angrily. "I have to go find Joe, or I have to just sit here and watch. My only option is to hope that I can kill Grodd in one blow, which isn't going to happen easily. Barry's on his own."

Haven turned down the volume on her comms and followed Joe's energy signature down the tunnels.

"Joe!" She shouted when she saw him. Haven knelt down next to the detective and pulled him into her arms, just as Barry raced into the area.

"Barry, Tala," Joe said, relaxing now that he knew he was safe. "Get me the hell out of here!"

"Let's go back to the labs. Iris is waiting for you," Haven said, smiling. Barry grabbed them both and ran them back to the cortex, where Haven dropped Joe on the hospital bed. She stepped back and pushed her armor and powers away. Cisco placed a hand on her shoulder, passing her a cup of coffee, which she accepted, pressing a kiss to his cheek in thanks. "Barry, we need to let Eiling out. As long as Grodd isn't controlling him."

"I'll do that. You stay up here and relax. Don't think I don't know how much energy you were using keeping yourself safe from Grodd's mental attacks," Barry lectured. "You were shaking until the train swept him away."

Tala smiled sheepishly as Barry walked away. She was exhausted, and in desperate need of a shower. Spending the better part of two days in the sewers was so not fun.

"Joe, it'll go faster if you sit still," Tala called over her shoulder, looking at the detective. "Caitlin doesn't like it when her patients don't listen."

"You have three fractured ribs!" Caitlin scolded. Tala turned and walked over to Joe, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not above tying you down," Tala lectured, smiling at him and his daughter.

"I'll be fine," Joe protested. The pain in his voice telling them that he was lying.

"Dad, you need to rest," Iris said.

"I can't believe Grodd became so violent," Caitlin mused, shaking her head at Tala. Cisco shrugged, stepping forward.

"What was his lair like? Did he eat the banana? Does he like _King Kong_? Or is he more of a _Planet of the Apes_ ape?" Cisco asked, making Tala hide a smile behind her coffee mug.

"Uh, terrifying, no, and I didn't ask," Joe said. "Do you three mind if I talk to my daughter alone?"

"Have fun, I need a shower anyway," Tala said, patting Joe on the shoulder. "Rest, recover. I'll tell Singh you're alright."

Tala walked away, following Caitlin and Cisco to his workshop, where they relaxed for a moment. She dialed Singh's number while they waited for Barry to join them.

"Captain, hey, our gold thief isn't going to be an issue anymore," Tala said, smiling somewhat.

"Who were they? Were they, like you and the Flash?" Singh asked, causing Tala to snort.

"Kinda. They were affected by the same thing we were," Tala said. "Though I doubt you'd believe me when I tell you our perpetrator was a telepathic gorilla."

"Right, and I'm a criminal," Singh sassed her.

"Well, remember your rights, anything you say can and will be held against you," Tala said, ending the call as Barry walked in.

"Maybe it's a good thing we didn't catch Grodd," Caitlin said. "Where would we put him? I mean, the pipeline isn't exactly equipped to hold a super intelligent, telepathic gorilla."

"Joe mentioned that Grodd called Wells _Father_ ," Barry said, looking up at Tala as he sat on the desk. "Wells must've ordered Grodd to come after us. It's why Grodd didn't kill Joe. I think Joe was right, everything Grodd did was to distract us."

"But distract us from what?" Tala asked. "Eobard has Eddie and is laying low. I have every camera under my control and all of our satellites scanning for him. I even got Ray to use the Palmer Tech satellites to help search. Cisco? What's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking about the headset," Cisco said, frowning. "It wasn't strong enough. Barry, you could've been killed out there."

"No, dude, your tech worked," Barry said turning to face Cisco. "And it proved that we don't need Wells. The four of us took on Grodd, and rescued Joe. Together we can do anything."

"Actually, it was the five of us," Caitlin corrected.

"Iris was pretty cool," Tala said, throwing her arms around her friends. "We should keep her around. Any girl who can break through a telepathic attack, she's good in my books."

Tala shook the water out of her hair, pressing it dry with the towel in her hands, looking thoughtfully at Cisco, who was signing a stack of paperwork from the board meeting they'd had that week.

"You're staring," he said, not looking up from the proposal he was reading. "You need to sign this stack, it'll increase our revenue, and this one will start sales on the delta wave lights we created from the Lucid Dreaming Goggles."

"How badly did I screw up?" Tala asked, looking at him. She sat down across from him at the table, pulling the stacks she needed to sign to her. "And what do I have to do?"

"What are you talking about?" Cisco asked, finally looking at her. Without her makeup on, he could see the bags under her eyes. She looked tired. "Joe's fine, everyone's fine, even Eiling."

"But we aren't. You bring me coffee and you still lean against me. You'll do everything you've done since I moved in here, but the second you realize you're doing it, you stop," Tala said, dropping her pen to the table. "When we aren't at Star Labs or Merlyn Industries, you only talk to me about work. Even on Thursday, during movie night, you sat on the other couch. How badly did I screw this up, Cisco?"

"You were working with the Reverse Flash! He killed Barry's mom, he killed both of us at one point, Tala," Cisco said, slamming his hand against the table. The act of aggression from Cisco startled Tala into flinching back in her chair. "I can understand keeping it a secret, but actively working with him? How could you? And don't say you did it to protect me, after Iris, Joe, and Barry, I'm tired of that excuse. I deserve the truth."

Tala slouched in her seat, looking down at her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath, looking up at Cisco with emotionless eyes.

"I could blame the Lazarus waters, making me bloodthirsty. I could blame the League, making me a bad person, or I could even blame my father and his genes. But the truth of the matter is that as much as I love helping people, and being selfless, I'm not," Tala said, staring blankly ahead, not seeing Cisco, or the paperwork she needed to finish. She saw a little girl with dark brown hair in pigtails, waiting on a park bench by herself as a driver pulled up in a town car. "I grew up alone, with a driver, a cook, two maids and a personal tutor. I had one friend, and that was Hart, back in middle school. Before that, and after that, I was on my own. I became inherently selfish, and I still am. I do things that benefit me. Working with him benefitted me."

"How? How does sending him back to his time benefit you?" Cisco demanded, shaking Tala from her thoughts.

"If he succeeded, he would be in my debt. If he hadn't been outed, then he would've had to keep his word and make sure that no harm befell you or me," Tala explained. "If he lost, I would've still been on everyone's good side, meaning no matter what happened, I came out on top."

"You're in it for yourself. The selfish hero. You're not a Haven, Tala, and you're not a hero," Cisco said. "You want to know why I keep reaching for you? Because I've gotten used to having someone I trust next to me. Because I've gotten into the habit of being by your side and having you on my arm. But I don't trust you. Make no mistake, we are business partners. Nothing more."

Tala nodded, standing from the chair, her face a careful neutral. She stacked up the papers Cisco had already signed that she needed to finish, and stuck her pen behind her ear.

"I think, um, I think I'm going to finish these at the office. There's really no need for us to keep up the pretense anyway since Eobard knows I told you all who he is," Tala said, clearing her throat. "When you finish those budget proposals, let me know and I'll send Cody or Kyle to come get them."

Tala nodded once and took the papers, leaving to the garage to get her bike. Cisco listened to it roar to life before it raced away. He propped his elbows up on the table and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. The engineer sighed, wondering if he'd made the right choice in pushing Tala away.

"I can't trust her after that. That's all there is to it, we stayed close at first because Wells knew we were and it would've made him suspicious, then it was simply a habit," Cisco told himself. He looked at the chair she was just in and sighed. He knew he was lying to himself; he just couldn't bring himself to forgive her.

Tala tossed her bag on her desk and sat down on her couch. She ran her fingers through her hair, angry for landing herself in this mess. She wondered if she'd made the right decision back at Christmas.

"He can't trust me. I understand that. But I promise you Francisco, I will do everything in my power to get you to forgive me," Tala said, staring out the window at the city's lights. "Even if you don't forgive me, I'll never stop trying. This I swear."


	25. 125 Rogue Air

Tala Merlyn sat staring at Cisco sitting in Wells' wheelchair. He was staring in the opposite direction, either not feeling her stare, or ignoring it. This was the first time in a week that Tala had been alone in a room with Cisco, but she couldn't think of anything to say to him that wasn't related to the company. Tala blinked as Cisco suddenly stood, staring at the wheelchair as if it had shocked him.

"What's wrong?" Tala asked, concerned. She stood and stepped closer, but kept out of his reach.

"Why would Wells use a wheelchair? Did he tell you?" Cisco asked, pain flaring in his eyes at the second question.

"His speed kept giving out, and to avoid suspicion, he said," Tala said, trying to swallow the guilt she still felt whenever Cisco looked at her. "But after he planned that trap I don't think any normal person would've suspected a not paralyzed Wells. Why?"

"What if he had a reason for using it? Get the team here. Have someone bring food, I'm starving," Cisco said.

"Then it's a good thing Tala asked me to bring you something," Cody said, walking into the cortex. He had Big Belly Burger bags with him. The engineers ate and examined the chair while they waited for Caitlin and Joe to show up.

"I kept asking myself, why would Wells pretend to need a wheelchair?" Cisco asked once everyone had shown up.

"Sympathy, I suppose," Caitlin offered.

"That's what we thought, at first," Cisco said. "But he's the Man in Yellow, he's the Reverse-Flash. He's much smarter than that. Sympathy can't be the only reason."

"Yeah, it was a misdirect. Just like everything else Wells has done," Joe said, shaking his head. "I mean, the last person we'd suspect to be the Man in Yellow, is someone who lost the use of their legs."

"Exactly right, Joe," Tala said, grinning. "Which is why Cisco started messing with the chair. See, even I didn't know this little bit about the bastard."

Tala and Cisco tipped the chair over, revealing the underside of it.

"That's when I found this," Cisco pulled off a panel at the bottom and revealed a whole lot of tech.

"Damn. You can't get that at RadioShack," Joe said, bending to look at it.

"That looks like the tech inside Gideon," Barry said. Tala nodded.

"I think it is. But what's interesting is the casing. See the circle? It's absorbing all the energy it sends outward, nullifying my ability to feel vibrational energy," Tala said, pointing to a specific piece. "But it still gives off energy. It's kicking off serious juice. And I mean, enough to power all of Central City."

"Seriously?" Joe asked. Tala and Cisco nodded.

"What do you think Wells was using it for?" Barry asked.

"He couldn't get back to his time after he killed your mom because his speed wasn't always there," Tala said, leaning against the wall. "He could use it, but it would often fail. I think he was using this as a battery. The same thing with the tachyonic prototype. It would also explain why he was so much faster than Barry. This is the equivalent of steroids."

Tala turned suddenly, pulling her powers around her as a computer alarm went off. She frowned as Cisco ran to the computers.

"The accelerator, it's been reactivated." Cisco said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Tala said, looking at him. "Please tell me you did not just say my worst nightmare was happening."

"How can that be, it blew up?" Joe asked.

"It would've had to be rebuilt," Cisco said, pulling open the specs on the monitor.

"Wells," Barry and Tala said, looking at each other angrily.

"Even if he did rebuild it, how did Doctor Wells turn the particle accelerator on?" Caitlin asked.

"He's still here. Barry and I have been searching the city, not the building! We're so stupid!" Tala shouted, rubbing her temples. "That's why we couldn't find him."

Joe drew his gun and Tala pulled for her armor, flicking her bow out. She led the way to the pipeline, hearing Cisco follow a moment behind her. Tala pulled back an arrow before rounding the corner to face the vault door.

"Cisco, why did you bring your drink?" Tala asked, half amused.

"Whenever something happens with the Reverse Flash, liquid floats in the air. You know, Barry's fish tank, Wells' champagne, Lance's coffee, remember that?" Cisco explained. "If this does the same thing, we'll know that Wells is in there."

"Smart. Open the pipeline. I'm ready," Tala said, taking a deep breath. He opened the door and Tala walked forward, checking in every direction for Eobard.

"Man, this is big," Joe said in awe. Tala hummed her agreement.

"Oh, God," Cisco said. Tala felt Eobard's energy and tensed slightly; turning in the direction she felt it coming from.

"He's here," Haven growled, pushing a wall of energy around Cisco to protect him, just as Eobard raced past them, pushing Haven off the gangway, and shoving Barry and Joe against the walls.

"Now what do we do?" Haven growled, holding her snapped bow in two hands. She was bleeding from a scratch on her cheek from the arrow.

"Prisoner release protocol initiated," the computer announced. Haven snarled and turned, leaping back up on the bridge as Shawna teleported from her now open cell to just behind Joe. Baez grabbed the gun and knocked Joe and Cisco off the bridge before shooting at Haven. The teleporter shot the button, locking them in until someone did a palm scan. The vault door slammed shut in front of Haven who sighed in frustration.

"Cisco, Joe, are you okay?" Tala asked, pushing her armor back to its stand, still holding her broken bow.

"Fine, just pissed," Joe said, standing. He let Tala help him up onto the bridge.

"That hurt," Cisco complained, jumping up next to the assassin. "Let's hope Caitlin can get us out of here."

Two minutes later, the vault door opened, revealing Caitlin and Iris carrying an unconscious Shawna.

"I dunno what happened, but I'm impressed," Tala said, hugging both girls.

"Are you okay?" Cisco asked Caitlin.

"Yeah, I will be," Caitlin said, smiling at Cisco before turning to Iris. "Thanks to Iris. I'm glad you showed up."

"How do you think she got out of there?" Iris asked.

"Wells sabotaged it. We came here looking for him, and he ran past, just before she got out," Tala growled.

"Help!" A voice shouted.

"Eddie," Tala said, moving into the pipeline. She pushed tendrils out and followed the sound and the energies "Eddie!"

She shouted and started moving faster, feeling his energy more clearly. Tala found a trap door and threw it open.

"Eddie?" She called as she started climbing down the ladder. "Are you down here?"

"Tala? Oh thank God," Eddie said. Tala dropped to the ground and looked around. "Wells, he's gone."

"Yeah, we know. Barry chased after him. Let's get you out of here," Tala pulled out a knife and cut the ropes keeping him tied to the chair. She pulled the dehydrated and exhausted man onto her back and started climbing out of the hideout as Iris looked around. Tala carried the detective to the cortex where Caitlin had already prepped an IV for him.

"Your vitals are normal, you're just a little dehydrated," Caitlin said, looking him over. "The IV should help with that, but drink some fluids and stay off your feet. Okay, Eddie?"

"Thanks Caitlin, and you Tala, for finding me," Eddie said, smiling at everyone. Barry raced in, panting slightly.

"Wells got away," he said, leaning over to catch his breath. "He was too fast. He's always too fast. Eddie!"

"We found him under a hatch in the pipeline. Freaking Eobard had a second hide out he neglected to mention to me," Tala seethed.

"I'm so sorry. I thought I looked everywhere for you," Barry apologized, looking at the detective. Tala put her hand on the speedster's shoulder.

"We both did. He must have energy dampeners in that room. I should've felt that," Tala sympathized.

"It's not your fault. Sometimes you just can't see the clues, even if they're right in front of you," Eddie said, turning his gaze on Iris. Tala wondered if he'd seen the newspaper.

"Well, you know, all that's important is that we're all safe," Iris said, reaching out to take Eddie's hand. "And back together, right?"

"Eddie, why'd he take you?" Joe asked.

"I dunno. He said that we're family," he sighed, looking bewildered. "Said his real name was..."

"Eobard Thawne, your descendant," Tala cut in, nodding. "Just like in Cisco's dream."

"Did he say anything else?" Joe asked. "I mean, anything that could help us figure out what he's really after? Tala knows some, but not enough to predict his next move."

"He didn't say much. Just kept working on some tube," Eddie shrugged.

"A tube? What did it look like?" Cisco asked pushing forward to stand next to Tala.

"Metallic and futuristic. He said it was the key to him getting back everything that was taken from him," Eddie said, still confused and slightly disoriented.

"I don't understand," Barry said. Tala was trying to think, knowing she was missing something.

"I don't know, look, I just want to go home," Eddie said. Tala nodded absentmindedly, moving away to stare at the computer. It started beeping and everything clicked for Tala.

"The tube is how he started the accelerator," Tala said, stepping out of Cisco's way as he crossed to check the alarm.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Cisco said and turned, running down to the pipeline. Tala grabbed her tablet and chased after him, cursing in Russian under her breath. The two engineers raced down to the pipeline, where they easily found the tube, a few feet from the trapdoor where Wells was keeping Eddie. Tala video called the cortex, holding the tablet for Cisco while he talked.

"Do you guys see this thing?" She asked, staring at the glowing blue thing. "That's the tube Eddie was talking about."

"It's some sort of future power source," Cisco said, looking at it. "That's what's charging up the accelerator."

"Can you shut it down?" Barry asked from the cortex. Tala snorted, rolling her head.

"Sorry, we're brilliant, but we aren't that brilliant," Tala scoffed.

"Do you see a power button anywhere on this thing?" Cisco asked, rolling his eyes. "Dude, this thing is from the future! It's beyond us. We press or touch or cut the wrong thing, I could bring the whole building down."

"Okay, how long until it's fully functional?" Barry asked. Tala looked to Cisco for an answer.

"Best I can guess, thirty six hours," Cisco said.

"That's when Wells will be back," Barry said.

"Why would Wells want the particle accelerator to work again?" Joe asked. Tala adjusted her grip on the tablet, putting them both in the camera.

"I don't know. He never told me any part, only that he would need me when the time came," Tala said, shrugging. "And it's not like his first time was a success."

"It made me the Flash," Barry said.

"That's not all it did," Caitlin said, thinking of all the Metahumans they'd encountered. Tala and Cisco exchanged looks, and ended the video stream before heading back up to the cortex.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tala asked, him, stopping him in the hallway. She went to reach for his arm, but stopped suddenly and pulled her hand back before she touched him. "Baez hit you pretty hard."

"You don't need to worry," Cisco said, stepping around her. "And I don't need your protection."

Tala watched him walk away before she shook herself and followed, entering the cortex a moment later.

"So, what happens if the particle accelerator turns on, while the Metahumans are in containment?" Caitlin asked, watching the security feed of them in their cells.

"They're toast," Cisco answered.

"We put them down there," Caitlin said. "And now their lives are in danger because of us."

"Look, I think you all know I've never been a fan of this arrangement here," Joe said. Tala nodded along, thinking of a plan. "I thought the whole plan was to rehabilitate them and set them free."

"It was. We've just been a little busy," Caitlin defended.

"Well, if they stay in there they die, and if we let them go, they destroy the city," Cisco said.

"We have to move them," Tala said.

"Move them where, Tala?" Joe asked. "Iron Heights can't handle Metahumans!"

"So we put them where they can't hurt anyone but themselves," Tala said, a feral grin appearing on her face. "If we can figure out a way to move them, convince Singh to let us block off traffic until we get out of the city. I've got a jet to spare, or Lyla can lend us one. We can send them to Lian Yu."

"What the hell's a Lian Yu?" Joe asked.

"It's purgatory, where Ollie spent the five years after his ship wrecked. He went there, I went to the League of Assassins," Tala explained. "Argus built a covert military prison on it. It currently holds Deathstroke and Captain Boomerang."

"Oliver keeps his worst criminals there," Barry chipped in. "They won't be able to escape. And more importantly, they won't be able to hurt anybody."

"Great," Joe said disapprovingly. "So we ship them from one illegal black site to another."

"Until we can retrofit Iron Heights to hold Metas, we have no other option, Joe," Tala said.

"So how do we move them to Oliver's own private Alcatraz?" Joe sighed.

"I'll call him, maybe he can help," Barry said. "And Cisco, if we do this, nobody can get loose."

"I might have a way of getting them out safely," Cisco said.

"Alright, get on it," Barry said. Cisco and Caitlin went one way, and Tala went back to her office at Merlyn Industries, intent on getting some sleep before everything went down. She knew Cisco would know where to find her if she was necessary.

Tala woke up to her phone going off, alerting her to a phone call. She rolled off her office couch and reached for it, answering it in a sleep induced haze.

"Merlyn," she said, shaking her head.

"It's Barry. The DA shut us down, we don't have an escort. Do you have any favors you can pull in?" Barry asked. Tala thought for a moment, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, I have an idea. You might not like it though," Tala said. "Leonard. I know where he is, I'll see if he'll help. I'll call you."

"Don't make any promises you'll regret," Barry warned, ending the call. Tala sighed and checked the time.

"If I leave now, Cisco will be out of the house. I can shower and change then find Leonard," she muttered, standing and leaving her office.

Tala shook her hair out as she latched her helmet to the handlebar. She stood outside Saints and Sinners, a relatively seedy bar on the outskirts of town. Tala walked in, aiming straight for the bar.

"Strong and fast," Tala barked at the bartender, glaring at the guy next to her who was staring. The bartender poured her a triple of whiskey and accepted the money she passed him. The biker standing next to Tala wrapped his arm around her waist, causing her to growl as she threw back the drink.

"What brings you here pretty girl?" he asked. Tala pulled his arm off her and bashed his head into the bar, letting him slide to the ground unconscious.

"Next person that touches me won't be able to get up, ever," Tala thundered, glaring around.

"And what if it's me?" Leonard asked, behind her.

"Then you won't want to get up," Tala said, winking at him. "We need to talk. Now."

Leonard smiled as she walked over to him and wrapped her arm around him. He led her over to a pool table, where the players quickly cleared out.

"What brings you to my corner, Little Killer?" Leonard asked.

"Barry and I need your help, moving some people out to Harris air. Five Metas that we've _detained_ ," Tala said, leaning against the pool table and spinning the ten ball. "Questionable on the legality, yes, but I've never been one for the law. We need your help getting them out."

"Why should I help the Flash? He's no friend of mine," Snart argued. "And I don't do hero work."

"If they get out, they'll destroy Central City. You can't rob anyone if they're all dead," Tala said. "Tell me what you need, anything that you want and I'll make it happen. Please, I cannot do this without you and your crew."

"What, your little Kitten not enough anymore?" Snart asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"He's not mine anymore. He doesn't agree with my decisions," Tala said, annoyed. "What do you want Snart?"

"You, Killer, and something else," Leonard said. "I'll think about it and call you."

"You know how to find me," Tala said as she left the bar.

Tala walked into the cortex to find Cisco had taken apart Wells' wheelchair to get at the energy source. He had removed the energy dampener and Tala staggered as she walked closer to it, feeling its vibrations.

"Wow, that thing is powerful. Barry, I need your help," Tala called, pulling him and Joe over to her. "I talked to Leonard, he'll help, but he has demands. He's thinking about what it is, and he's going to call me."

"What do you mean you talked to Leonard Snart?" Joe asked, looking at the assassin like she was crazy.

"I asked him for help," Tala shrugged, unconcerned.

"Tala, why would you do something so stupid?" Joe demanded, scolding her like a child.

"Because, Joe, we have already tried the legal option. The DA turned you down, and Singh is on his freaking honeymoon," Tala shouted, banging her fist against the table. "Ollie is in Nanda Parbat, Caitlin tried to get Firestorm here, and we can't stop all of them if something goes wrong. The particle accelerator goes online in?"

"Sixteen hours," Cisco called, focused on his task.

"In sixteen hours, those five people are going to be dead unless we do something drastic," Tala continued. "And like it or not, Leonard and his crew, their guns that Cisco and I designed are drastic. We need his help."

"Then lucky for you I figured out what it is you can get me," Leonard said as he walked into the cortex. Joe pulled his gun and Tala threw up a wall to protect him. "Hello, detective. Nice to see you again. Caitlin, Cisco."

Tala glared at Joe until he holstered his weapon. She crossed the room and stood next to Leonard.

"I thought about your proposal," he said, resting his hand on Tala's shoulder. She didn't notice the dark look Cisco sent Leonard when she turned to smile at the Rogue. "You want my help, this is what I want. My fingerprints, dental records, DNA, criminal records, family tree. Everything there is in this world concerning Leonard Snart, I want it destroyed. All of it. At CCPD, online, everywhere."

"The brass on this dude," Joe said. "You really think we'd do that for you?"

Tala and Barry looked at each other, measuring their need for his help against what he was asking them. Tala raised her eyebrow, and Barry nodded.

"I'll do it," he said. "If it's the only way, fine."

"You and me need to talk, right now," Joe said, poking Barry before walking away. Barry nodded to Tala and Snart before following Joe into an adjoining room. Tala waited until the door was closed behind them before sighing and running her fingers through her hair.

"As for the other thing?" Leonard asked, turning to face Tala.

"Other thing? I thought that was the only thing he wanted?" Cisco asked, glowering at the assassin and the thief. Tala smirked at Leonard.

"I wouldn't be much of a thief if I couldn't take everything I wanted," Leonard said, turning to wink at Cisco.

"And what else do you want?" Caitlin asked. Leonard sat down in the computer chair and pulled Tala down onto his lap.

"Hell no," Cisco shouted, glaring at Snart. "You cannot have her!"

Cisco twitched and threw his knife at Snart. Tala moved and grabbed it out of the air, holding the blade tight enough to draw blood from her palm. She shot Cisco a scathing look as she walked over and put the burgundy blade back into his wrist holster. Caitlin handed Tala the bottle of Lazarus waters and watched as she dropped it onto the cut.

"I am not a material object that can be owned or traded," Tala said in a dangerously low voice. "I can choose to spend my free time with whomever I decide. You, Francisco, pushed me away and said that what we had was over. Therefore you cannot control me."

Tala grabbed Leonard's arm and led him to Wells' old office, where she sat at the computer and started creating a virus.

"If you need to be somewhere else, go, just don't let Cisco stab you," Tala said. "I'm working on this virus that will delete you from everything."

"I think I'll stay, it's interesting watching the engineer squirm," Snart drawled, making Tala laugh.

"Just don't let him kill you, and don't kill him. He hates me, but I don't hate him," Tala warned.

"That's why you reached out to me, because you know he would hate seeing you with me," Snart said, propping his boots up on the desk.

"Until Lisa shows up. He still has a crush on your sister," Tala said as Barry walked into the room. She pulled the flash drive out of the USB port and passed it to him. "Plug this into the computer at CCPD, and it'll delete everything to do with Len. And me, but that's inconsequential."

Barry nodded and ran off, leaving the two alone again. Tala sighed and stretched, looking around the room.

"Come on, I need to find a new bow, Baez snapped my other one," Tala said, standing. Snart followed her to Cisco's lab, where there was a bow hanging above the door. She grabbed it and pulled for her armor, hooking it around herself before pushing the armor back to her gym.

"Neat trick," Snart complemented, looking impressed. "Is it a result of the explosion?"

"Nah, I once knew a man, Damian Darhk, who taught me magic," Tala explained. "I stitched a spell into my suit and when I focus on it, it appears around me."

"Was that also what healed your hand?"

"No, I was in the League of Assassins, and there is a pit, the Lazarus Pit, that can heal any wound, and bring people back from the dead," Tala said, walking back to the cortex. "Damian gave me his stock pile once he noticed the magic extending his lifetime. Since I'm his protégé."

Leonard turned to the elevator, rather than entering the cortex. Tala waved as he left, and went to offer Cisco her help.

"That thing needs to be stuck in a power dampener," Tala said, glaring at Eobard's battery pack. "What else needs done?"

"The room in the house, where no one's powers work, how'd you get it to encompass every power?" Cisco asked, not looking at her.

"Energy dampeners, the same as what Eobard had that thing cased in," Tala shrugged. "They stop the vibrations that allow us to use our powers. Just, bigger. Cait, can you make a tranq something or other to knock them all out so we can get them into the big rig. I'm sending Cody and Kyle to Gotham until we can get this taken care of."

Tala turned and sent the message to Cody, who complained but took his husband out of town. She sighed and started helping Cisco with the tech they needed.

Tala looked up from her emails as Barry entered the room with Leonard and Lisa. She crossed the room to stand between Barry and Leonard as they seemingly faced off against Cisco, Caitlin and Joe.

"Please tell me this is a joke?" Caitlin asked.

"Oh, you were right, Lenny," Lisa said. Tala closed her eyes, knowing this wasn't going to end well. "She is very uptight."

"I am not uptight!" Caitlin said. "You can't call me uptight."

"Look, guys, we need their help if we're going to pull this off," Barry said. Tala looked at him, confused.

"Sarie, why are you wearing your mask?" Tala asked. "Len already knows who you are."

"And I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. That includes my sister," Leonard said, surprising Tala, who smiled happily at him, glad he was keeping his word.

"Jerk," Lisa pouted.

"Train wreck," Leonard responded. "Don't look so surprised, Detective, I am a man of my word."

"Yeah, you better be," Joe said, glaring at Snart. "Else I'll make sure you're on that damn plane too."

Tala snickered and followed Joe to check over their plans. She watched Lisa as she approached Cisco, trying not to glare at her too obviously.

"Hey, Cisco," Lisa greeted.

"Oh hey, Captain Cold's evil sister," Cisco responded, making Tala beam proudly at his back.

"Oh, you're not still mad at me, are you?" Lisa simpered. "I really did enjoy kissing you."

"You kissed her?" Caitlin yelled, spinning around in her chair. Tala bit down on her lip to prevent herself from laughing.

"Under duress, calm down," Cisco said, holding up his hand.

"You know, I've thought a lot about you," Lisa said. Tala hoped she didn't kiss him again. Not in front of her.

"Have you really?" Cisco asked. Lisa just looked at him. "Well, stop. Because this, right here, it ain't gonna happen."

Tala paled and watched as Lisa stepped closer to Cisco, looking down at him. She started growling softly, watching the way he reacted to her. Joe grabbed Tala's arm and dragged her out of the cortex as a wind started pushing her hair around. The detective threw the angry assassin into her gym. Tala stumbled backwards and glared at Joe.

"What has gotten into you? You're acting like an animal possessed by the devil!" Joe demanded.

"He is mine!" Tala growled, her voice coming from everywhere in the room.

"Not anymore!" Joe shouted. "He left you, because of your choices. Because of what you did. You need to accept that and move on."

Joe left the room, leaving Tala to sink to her knees and stare after him, wondering if she would ever recover from what she did. She shook herself and pulled for her armor, moving through a short series of meditative motions to calm her mind and focus on what she needed to do.

Tala opened her eyes and looked in the reflective silver arrowhead. She saw that her eyes were blue, but there wasn't the normal dissociation she had between herself and Haven.

"I can do this. I can get over this, I've gotten over worse," Tala said to herself as she left the room, heading for the cortex. She met Joe and Cisco who were about to head out to see how they were transporting the Metas.

"Haven, did you wanna come with us?" Cisco asked. Tala smiled at him gently, before nodding.

"It's Tala actually. I think I finally figured out my powers. Or at least, Haven and I have come to an understanding," Tala said as she followed them.

"Cisco, this is dope!" Tala said, looking at the big semi truck. "Where did you get this?"

"It's my uncle's. Merlyn Industries may have bought it from him," Cisco said, smiling sheepishly at the CEO. Tala shrugged. "His company hauls frozen food cross country. Okay, so, I retrofitted the cooling system with the wheelchair's power source, and added Tala's energy dampeners."

"Which means what, exactly?" Joe asked.

"Basically, the back of this rig is flooded with so much power, that it's creating a transient pulse strong enough to disrupt the Metahumans' powers, Tala?" Cisco explained. Tala jumped up into the rig and tried to use her powers, they wouldn't work. "We can get them to the airport and get them on the plane without them getting fresh on us! Technically we need someone with a class A commercial driver's license to drive this though."

"You couldn't have mentioned that before I sent Cody to Gotham? He could've done this," Tala said, rolling her eyes.

"With all your abilities, you can't do it?" Joe asked the assassin.

"Hey, Cisco had to teach me how to drive a normal car, I can't handle an eighteen wheeler," Tala said, shaking her head.

"I can drive it," Lisa said. Tala and Cisco turned to her, openmouthed. "What? I have a Class A CDL."

"You do?" Caitlin asked.

"We can't all be doctors," Lisa said. Tala raised her hands in concession, giving up on understanding the Snart family.

"Alright, well let's do this, the plane is going to be here in two hours," Barry said, nodding to Tala. Tala and Caitlin went up to the cortex and activated the tranq gas, knocking out all the Metas, before Tala used her powers to carry them all back down to the garage. Joe and Cisco made sure they were all secured in the back of the rig and Tala kicked her Ducati to life, winking at Leonard.

"Dampers are fully functional," Cisco read off, turning on his comms. Tala adjusted her hood, and tightened her gloves, hoping the transfer went smoothly.

"Alright. I'll make sure the roads are clear. Do not stop for anything," Barry ordered, running ahead. Tala pushed her powers out, adding an additional layer of protection around the rig. She watched Cisco pull himself up into the truck and settle down next to Lisa.

"Let's move out!" Tala and Leonard said, revving their engines. Behind them, Lisa started the truck.

Tala and Leonard drove ahead, scouting out the traffic before Tala doubled back to flank the truck.

"Sarie, we've got traffic up ahead," Tala said, pulling alongside the cab of the truck. Cisco looked out the window and nodded to her.

"I'm on it," Barry said. Tala felt his energy run around her twice, throwing up roadblocks.

"How's our cargo doing?" Tala asked, looking up at Cisco.

"All quiet so far," He replied. Tala nodded and sped up, pulling ahead of Joe and Caitlin in the SUV.

Tala sighed in relief when they pulled into Ferris air, glad the move went with little issue.

"The Metas are probably awake by now," Tala said, parking her bike next to a wall.

"I thought this place got shut down?" Leonard asked.

"Merlyn Industries bought it a few months ago when we realized we could use it to train Sarie up there," Tala explained, pushing her hood down. "I shut it down, but since I own it, we can use it whenever."

"Where's the plane? I wanna get this over with," Joe said, getting out of the SUV.

"Should be here any minute," Barry said. "Look Joe, I know you don't agree with this-"

"Save it Bear, I just wanna get it done," Joe said. Tala nodded in agreement.

"Your Argus friends aren't very prompt," Len said as Tala leaned against him slightly. "Maybe that's why they've never been able to catch me."

"Oh, there it is," Caitlin said, pointing to the incoming plane. Tala grinned; glad it was all going according to plan. She turned as Cisco jumped out of the cab of the truck.

"Guys, guys, we have a problem!" Cisco said as he ran over to them. "The damper's fluctuating. The rig's losing power. I dunno why."

"Can you do something?" Barry asked.

"I'm trying," Cisco said, frantically working on his tablet. Tala looked up as lightning flashed across the sky, a storm coming in that wasn't supposed to happen.

"Oh God," Caitlin said as Tala swore in Arabic. She pulled out her bo-staff, locking them into place as one long staff.

"Mardon," Joe said, watching the plane. Tala hoped they landed quickly. The group watched in disbelief as lightning struck the plane and it crashed, flying overhead to land in a ball of fire. Tala snarled as the back of the rig blew open and the Metas jumped out.

"Trip's cancelled!" Mardon yelled.

"Take your last breath," Nimbus said, glaring at Barry. Nimbus jumped out of the trailer, turning into a mist as he did, and chased after Barry. Simmons, the Meta Oliver found in Starling, took aim at Joe, who started firing at the Metas. Bivolo looked deliberately at Caitlin, who lunged for Cisco. Tala leapt over the hood of the car to get in between the two of them.

"He locked Ronnie in the pipeline! He killed Ronnie!" Caitlin shouted, trying to get past Tala to Cisco.

"Joe, focus on the Metas, I'll handle Caitlin," Tala barked, pulling her friend back away from Cisco and out of danger.

"Cait, listen to me, Ronnie isn't dead!" Tala said, holding her friend tightly. "He's in Pittsburg, remember? With Martin!"

"He killed Ronnie!" Caitlin shouted, sobbing angrily. "It's his fault he's dead!"

Tala sighed and pulled a box into existence around Caitlin, locking her in place where she couldn't be harmed, and where she couldn't harm Cisco in her rage. The assassin turned as Leonard killed Simmons with a blast from his cold gun.

"How about we call tonight a tie," he said. Tala walked over, frowning slightly. Bivolo's eyes started turning red and Tala instinctively threw up a wall of matter between Rainbow Raider and Len.

"I'd power down if you don't want me to melt your face," Lisa said, holding her Gold Gun to his temple. Tala smirked as Bivolo's eyes lost their red glow.

"Let's all go our separate ways," Len said, lowering his gun. Tala twirled her bo-staff wondering what she should do. "My name is Leonard Snart, this is Haven."

"I know who you are," Mardon said, glaring at Snart.

"Always happy to meet a fan," Snart said. "Just remember who it was made sure you didn't get thrown on a plane bound for nowhere."

"You're just letting us go?" Mardon asked.

"You lot are gonna have to owe me, but yes," Tala sighed, holstering her bo-staff. "The place we were previously keeping you is set to blow. We don't want you dead, so you need to be elsewhere. Iron Heights can't hold you so we were shipping you to an Argus facility. That went bust."

"Why'd you kill that guy?" Mardon asked, gesturing to Simmons.

"He owed me money," Len said, shrugging.

"What, you want a thank you?" Mardon asked. Tala smirked.

"Who doesn't like a thank you?" Tala and Len replied.

"Thank you?" Bivolo said cautiously. Tala nodded to Lisa and she lowered her gun.

"You, are so very welcome," Len replied. Bivolo and Mardon walked away, and Len walked over to Barry. Tala sighed and went to check on Cisco, Joe and Caitlin. Cait had sat down in her box, glaring in the direction Cisco had run. Tala waved her hand, dissolving the box, and Caitlin ran over to her, grabbing her tightly.

"I'm going to take you back to Star Labs, alright?" Tala asked, feeling the doctor nod her head. "Joe, keep an eye on them. Cait, you're going to have to hold onto me, we're taking my bike."

Tala helped Caitlin mount her bike behind her, and instructed her how to hold on properly, before she kicked the bike to life and rode away, getting to the labs before anyone else. Tala led Cait to the same lights device they used to fix Barry, and sat her in front of it before turning it on. Tala waited until Caitlin clutched and shook her head before turning the device off.

"Why wasn't I angry with you? Barry wasn't either when he got whammied," Caitlin said, standing and walking back to the cortex.

"Blue is a very calming color. I think my powers surrounding me negates Bivolo's powers," Tala said, shrugging and getting the painkillers for Caitlin. "Either that or I'm impossible to get angry at, but I highly doubt that since Cisco won't look at me."

"You need to give him time," Caitlin said, taking her hand. "He will forgive you, one day."

"I'm just worried that the one day might be too far away," Tala huffed, walking down to her gym, pushing her armor away as she did. She growled and punched at her punching bag, annoyed with how everything went down. Starling City was easier. Bad guys died, good guys lived, and the ones in the middle went to prison. Here there was too much gray.

"Are you angry we messed up, or angry at yourself?" Cisco asked from the door.

"Both. Mostly myself though," Tala said, turning to face him. He held out a cup of coffee, with the barest hint of a smile. "It's my fault. I don't doubt Barry would've ended up asking Snart himself, but I'm annoyed I didn't predict his double-cross. I'm also annoyed I can't just kill the bad guys anymore. We need to figure out a way to make Iron Heights Meta proof."

"And we will, as soon as Wells is dealt with. I've already had a few ideas, we just need Merlyn Industries to sign off on it," Cisco said, leaning against the salmon ladder.

"If we can convince the board, it'll go easier. The new financial manager still doesn't understand why we're pushing so much money towards Star Labs," Tala said, rolling her eyes.

"You just need to move the CFO out here. Come on, no more brooding. We're going up to the cortex and we're going to plan," Cisco demanded, shepherding Tala out of the room and back up to the cortex.

"Plan what? How to catch Eobard? The bastard's been a step ahead of even me," Tala pouted, upset with herself.

"No, it's Thursday, or did you forget?" Cisco asked, laughing. "It's movie night, and it's your turn to pick."

Tala blinked at him in disbelief, choking on her coffee slightly. Cisco turned to her, an apology she didn't expect in his eyes.

"Despite it being you that reached out to Snart, Barry had put most of his faith in his word," Cisco said. "I think I understand a bit better why you agreed to help Wells. So you're coming to movie night."

Tala smiled as she sat down at her computer next to Cisco, feeling his hand pressed against her shoulder. She groaned and glared up at the ceiling as an alarm went off throughout the building.

"Guys!" Cisco shouted through the PA. "The particle accelerator is fully charged and online! Whatever Wells needs it for, it's ready."

Tala turned on her security cameras that surrounded the building, showing Wells walking up to the building. Barry was glaring at the video, his energy vibrating faster with rage.

"Barry, don't even think about it," Joe said. Tala put her hand on the speedster's arm.

"You can't go out there by yourself," Tala said, pulling for her armor.

"Yeah, I can," Barry said, turning and running out. Tala glared at the spot he had just been.

"I swear that boy is going to be the death of me!" Tala growled as she sprinted after him, using her powers to steady her quiver on her leg. She skid to a halt next to him, glaring at Eobard.

"Well, I heard your prison transfer didn't go so well," Eobard said, smiling at the two of them. "I'm so sorry."

"Not as sorry as you're going to be, Eobard," Tala snarled.

"All a part of your plan, I assume," Barry stated, showing less anger than he felt. Tala felt the two speedster's energy, Eobard's was cocky, Barry's angry and determined.

"Actually, that didn't factor into my plan at all, I expected Tala to kill them all," Eobard said, smirking at the assassin. "But I'm impressed. You went to such great lengths to keep those people from harm. Ever the hero, huh, Barry?"

"You've hurt enough people," Barry said, holding his hand out to prevent Tala from attacking him.

"I know. You see me as the villain, but Barry, Tala, if you were to look back, look back carefully at everything I've done, every wheel I have set in motion, you would realize, I have only done what I had to do," Eobard said taking slow steps forward. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"And the particle accelerator? How does that fit into your grand plan?" Barry asked.

"Why don't you go on inside? Let me show you," Eobard said, causing Tala to scoff.

"You know, we just learned the hard way not to trust the bad guy," Barry said.

"And yet you still work with Tala," Eobard said, winking at the assassin. "But I have shown you time and time again you can't beat me, Barry."

Tala turned and smiled happily as she felt two familiar energies. Firestorm landed next to them, Ronnie's eyes glowing white. Tala pushed her powers out, turning her eyes blue and sharpening her nails. She stepped to the side as Ollie zip lined down next to her, wearing League standard armor.

"Welcome Mister Queen," Eobard said.

"Hope we're not too late," Ollie said. Tala drew her bow and notched an arrow.

"Perfect timing, Brother," Tala said, beaming. "I don't care how fast you are. You can't fight all four of us at the same time."

"Oh, I can't?" Eobard asked, but rather than making Tala nervous, it just hardened her resolve. She had too many people to protect from him for her to fail. "Trust me, this? This is going to be fun."

Eobard pushed his hand forward and his suit flew out of his ring, impressing Tala. She wanted to know how that worked. He sped into his suit, and started for Barry. Tala and Oliver aimed their arrows at the circle of lightning, but couldn't shoot without hitting Barry.

"Barry, move!" they yelled. Eobard grabbed Barry and pinned him against the fencing before throwing him against the Star Labs sign. Firestorm flew upward as Tala and Oliver fired an arrow each at the reverse flash. It distracted him long enough for Ronnie to get a good shot in with a fire blast.

Tala watched in dismay as Eobard created a wind funnel that threw Ronnie away. Barry raced after Firestorm, intent on catching him. The reverse flash pulled Oliver's arrow out of his leg and Tala noticed it wasn't a normal arrow.

"Nanites, courtesy of Ray Palmer," Oliver explained. "They're delivering a high-frequency pulse that's disabling your speed. You're not gonna be running around for quite a while."

Tala and Oliver fell into their habits of fighting side beside as Eobard charged them at a normal speed. While Oliver battered him down with his bow, Tala dropped hers in favor of her bo-staff, flicking them out and connecting them. Eobard grabbed a pipe to use as a weapon, but Oliver used it against him to flip the speedster over and drop him on a stack of plywood.

Oliver picked up Tala's discarded bow and tossed it to her as she sheathed her staff. As she turned, Tala saw Eobard vibrating, pushing the nanites out of his system.

"Damn it, where's Hartley when you need him?" Tala cursed, drawing an arrow and aiming it at him, as he sped around the assassin and pinned Oliver on the ground.

"The history books say you live to be eighty six years old, Mister Queen," Eobard said, distorting his voice. "Well, I guess the history books are wrong."

"You knew he was alive!" Tala shouted, kicking the speedster off her brother. "I mourned for him and you knew he was alive and you never told me!"

Tala smacked him with her bow, shoving him in line for Barry to hit him, sending him flying into a dumpster, rolling to a stop.

"That's the spirit," Eobard hissed. "You can't stop me, Flash. And you never will."

Eobard ran up the side of the labs, Barry chasing after him. Tala pulled Oliver to his feet, making sure he was alright.

"I don't like you in the League armor. You look better in green," Tala commented, looking him over.

"Don't let my wife hear you say that," Oliver said, rolling his eyes.

"Wife? You and Felicity got married? And you didn't invite me?" Tala demanded, hitting Oliver's arm.

"No, Nyssa. Ra's al Ghul demanded it," Oliver said. Tala blinked at him, trying to understand that sentence.

"You and Nyssa are married? I guess you really are my brother now. I will stand always behind you, Warith al Ghul," Tala said formally. They turned in sync as Eobard fell from the roof, caving in the hood of a car, and fired, each hitting a shoulder.

"Night night you son of a bitch," Tala said as he collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Barry and Ronnie landed around them. "Ollie, this is Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein. Firestorm, this is Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow."

"Nice haircut," Barry said, looking at Oliver. "And I see we've abandoned our traditional green."

"Trying something different. Look, I might need a favor from you, Barry," Oliver said, looking at the Flash. Tala picked up Eobard's unconscious body and threw him over her shoulder, pulling the arrows out.

"I'm gonna dump this asshole in the pipeline. Be safe Ollie," Tala said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Make sure you say hi to Cait and Clarissa before you flame off again boys."

Tala carried him down and threw him in a cell in the pipeline, locking him in it. Barry joined her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"We got him," she said, smiling at her friend.

"We got him," he echoed.


	26. 126 Fast Enough

Tala handed her card to the sales lady as she handed her a garment bag. The assassin smiled at the bag, hoping her friend liked it.

"Can I see the ring?" The saleslady asked as she handed Tala back her card.

"The dress is for a friend of mine, I'm just the bridesmaid," Tala smiled, pocketing her card. She left the shop and ducked into the car Cody had parked out front.

"Why do you have a wedding dress?" he asked turning toward Star Labs. "I wasn't aware you and Cisco were at that point again."

"It's for Cait. Her and Ronnie have been engaged for too long," Tala explained, shaking her head and pulling out a checklist. "They're getting married by the end of the week if I have anything to do with it. Let me think, I got the rings, flowers, dress, Ronnie can go without a suit, or he can use Cisco's, it's still at the lab."

"Why not buy him one?" Cody asked.

"I don't have his measurements. I have Cait's because I work with her everyday," Tala said, leaning back into her seat.

"Boss, when was the last time you slept?" Tala didn't answer, preferring to look out the window.

Tala left the dress in the car as she walked into the building. Cisco handed her a cup of coffee as she entered the cortex.

"A rare opportunity to go back in time and right a wrong, and save your mother's life," Martin Stein said. "Quite the paradox Harrison has presented you with, Mister Allen."

"Eobard," Tala said. "His name is Eobard, not Harrison. Harrison Wells was a man we all trusted, Eobard is the bastard who betrayed all of us."

"Tala, easy," Cisco said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Only he noticed her flinch when he moved, but he decided not to mention it.

"The chance to be with someone you love?" Caitlin asked, looking between Barry and Ronnie. "Seems pretty cut and dry to me."

"At first blush, Doctor Snow, it would appear so, but this gift has unparalleled risk. Barry, the night your mother died, the night you saved yourself from being killed, that event altered the timeline you were already on, and changed the course of history," Martin explained.

"So, what you're saying is we're living in a parallel universe?" Cisco asked, frowning slightly.

"Just like when I time-traveled before," Barry said.

"But he only changed one day that time," Joe said.

"Exactly. Now imagine fifteen years of compounded experiences," Tala said, setting her coffee down on the desk in front of her. "One different decision, no matter how big or small, impacts everything that follows. Moments upon moments, choices upon choices. Like Iris and Barry's friendship. It's as strong as it is because Barry went to live with you two. If Nora never died, who is to say that they would even be friends?"

"Nothing would be as it is today, and you'd never know the difference," Martin concluded, nodding to Tala. "Because, you'd never remember any of it."

"So, if I go back and save my mom, my dad doesn't go to prison. I never live with Joe and Iris," Barry said, thinking of everything that would change.

"You might never meet me or Caitlin, or Ronnie, or Tala," Cisco said sadly.

"The truth is, there's no real way of knowing what your life will be," Martin said. Barry looked to Joe for an answer.

"There's no choice here, Barry. You have to do this," the detective said. Tala reached for her coffee but stopped when she noticed her hands were shaking. "You gotta change the past."

Joe left, and Barry chased after him, wanting an explanation. Tala sat in the chair behind her, taking a deep breath. The assassin heard conversation continue around her for a moment before it all blurred into white noise. Tala pushed her chair back and walked to her gym, not seeing or hearing the reactions her exit caused.

"Tala?" Ronnie asked, knocking on the doorframe.

"Ronnie, hey. Come on in," Tala said, gesturing to a chair. "What brings you to my little home?"

"Your exit was rather, noticeable. We were worried," Ronnie said, taking the seat offered to him.

"If Barry goes back, he won't be interested in the supernatural anymore. Which means he won't come to Starling City when Oliver and I were investigating the missing centrifuge from the Queen Consolidated's Applied Sciences division," Tala sighed, pulling herself up to sit on the bar of the salmon ladder. "If Barry doesn't come to Starling, who's to say I'd come here? I wasn't going to because I was busy dealing with Mirakuru soldiers."

"And you'd never have met Cisco," Ronnie said.

"No. That's not the concern. The concern is that Cisco would be better off without me screwing up his life. Betraying him, working with Eobard? Can you honestly tell me he's better with me here?"

"I think he is. Even now, that he's mad at you, he still watches over you," Ronnie said, standing. "He still loves you. Speaking of, the thing I asked?"

"All taken care of. Don't worry. Cynthia is already in town and I picked up the dress this morning," Tala said, smiling. Ronnie went back to the cortex, leaving Tala with her thoughts.

Tala glared at the security feed of Eobard, eating his food. She had Caitlin bring it to him, unable to face him.

"He said that he would need me when the time came," Tala said to Professor Stein. "He said that I would know. So why don't I know what's going on? Why don't I know anything anymore?"

"Because as good as you are at being an engineer, an assassin, and a CEO, you, my dear, are not a chess mistress," he said, taking her shaking hand. "He is very good at mind games, do not let him play with yours."

"I'm just worried that I'm always making the wrong decision, no matter what I do," Tala said, letting Martin push her into a chair. "And that I'm going to hurt those closest to me."

"Stop trying to think about the further reaching implications of your actions, and just do what your instincts tell you to do," Martin said. "Often times it is our best intentions that get us in the most trouble."

"According to Wells' calculations Barry super speeds inside the accelerator ring. Once he reaches optimum speed, we then launch a hydrogen proton into the accelerator," Martin lectured, looking at the monitors mounted on the wall. "Once the collision happens, a wormhole forms, opening a gateway into time itself. At that moment, I plan on shouting something along the lines of: 'Eureka,' or possibly 'Excelsior.' I'm uncommitted."

"What do you think?" Barry asked Cisco. Tala placed her hand on his shoulder, moving slowly.

"I mean, on the one hand, it does make a kind of sense," Cisco sighed. "On the other hand, why? Why? Why would you ever consider doing this?"

"You know why," Barry said.

"So for this to actually work, how fast would Barry have to go?" Caitlin asked.

"By mine and Martin's estimates, Mach two at a minimum," Tala said, picking up her legal pad and waving it, flashing three pages of tightly compacted equations.

"You've never gone that fast," Caitlin said, looking at Barry with worry.

"So what happens if Barry doesn't reach that speed?" Joe asked. Tala winced. "I mean, I'm imagining a bug hitting a windshield. How far off am I?"

"Not very far, I'm afraid," Martin said.

"Let me worry about how fast I have to go," Barry said, straightening his shoulders and turning toward Cisco and Tala. "We're gonna need something else too."

"Really?" Tala asked, looking pointedly at the pouting Cisco, whose body language screamed that he wanted nothing to do with this plan.

"And what's that? Because I don't know about you guys, but I'm not at all interested in helping you get yourself killed."

"I need you to build a time machine," Barry said.

"Go on," Cisco said, torn between excitement and annoyance.

"That's why he needs me. Bastard," Tala hissed. "I was looking at the specs Gideon had for a similar construct, I nearly had them memorized, and was working on improvements."

Tala stood and started walking toward Harrison's lab, Cisco and Ronnie trailing after her. She didn't notice the concerned look the boys shared behind her back.

"So if Wells is as fast as you, what's he need a time machine for?" Ronnie asked Barry, who chased after them.

"Apparently he lost his speed when he killed my mom," Barry said. "He gets it back sometimes, but only in spurts. He can't fully control it."

"He has issues keeping it up. This is his little blue pill," Tala scathed, leading the way to the blueprints she had been working on.

"So I was right. He was using the wheelchair to charge himself," Cisco said. Tala and Barry nodded.

"So after I open the wormhole, he's gonna need the ship to travel back to the future. He's been squirreling away the parts," Barry said.

"And he showed me the blueprints so that I could help with it," Tala growled, mad she let herself get played. "Now we just need to put it together."

"Ronnie, I love you, but this is a time machine, not a bookcase from Ikea," Cisco said, following the half of Firestorm that started wandering around the lab.

"Cisco, you couldn't put together the bookcase from Ikea. I did," Tala laughed shakily.

"We got a problem. These tiles, they're made of tungsten," Ronnie said.

"Well, tungsten does have the highest melting point of any other element," Cisco reasoned.

"But the dust it generates is flammable," Tala said, catching Ronnie's train of thought. "With the pressure exerted from the wormhole..."

"Yeah, yeah. It could cause a hole to be melted into the exterior."

"Which would then explode," Tala continued.

"Any ideas?" Barry asked, looking between the three engineers.

"Let me ask Doctor Evil," Cisco said, walking toward the exit with a frown. "A name which used to make me laugh! Tala?"

Tala chased after him, taking his arm as they walked down to the pipeline. They walked in silence until they got there. Tala hung back while Cisco handed Eobard the blueprints.

"The tungsten tiles run the risk of exploding with the dust they generate. Any ideas to avoid that scenario?" Cisco demanded, turning his back on him and pacing in the entrance. Tala watched him, making an effort to not look at Eobard.

"Something on your mind, Cisco?" Eobard asked after a few minutes of silently looking at the blueprints.

"No. Yes. How did you fit your Reverse-Flash suit into that little ring?" Cisco asked, making Tala smile fondly at him. "Is it some sort of compressed microtech? Or, actually, forget it. I don't care. Maybe a little."

"Ronnie's right. I should've accounted for the temporal shearing," Eobard said, rifling through the papers.

"Glad we're still good for something," Cisco said. Tala moved toward him, taking his hand in her own. He nodded to her, lacing their fingers together and pulling her against him.

"I've never underestimated your contribution, Cisco," Eobard said, looking up at them. "Or Ronnie. As a matter of fact, do you know how many times I wished you were there with me as I rebuilt the accelerator? Would've been a lot more fun."

"Yeah? Well it doesn't change the fact that your nifty little Time Sphere."

"Oh, is that what you're calling it?" Eobard interrupted, causing Tala to growl softly. Cisco squeezed her hand to calm her down.

"Whatever it's called, it's gonna blow!" Cisco shouted, annoyed.

"Wait, what if we cement the tiles with a cobalt resin?" Tala whispered. "It would prevent degradation in the extreme heat."

"That was what I was going to suggest. Way to go, Tala," Eobard said.

"Okay, we'll try that," Cisco said, turning them both around and starting to leave.

"That's it? That's all?" Eobard called after them. Cisco stopped and turned in anger.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Cisco asked, turning back to stalk toward Eobard.

"I don't know, Cisco. I thought of anyone, you'd be more understanding of my predicament," Eobard said, throwing the blueprints into the air. Cisco walked closer to the pipeline, dragging Tala with him. He didn't notice her losing more color the closer they got. "I don't belong here! These barbaric times. It's like living among the dead."

"Is that what you told yourself when you killed us?" Cisco asked.

"What?" Eobard asked, turning to face them. "What did you say?"

"It was an alternate timeline, one that Barry reset. But I never forgot it," Cisco said, tightening his hold on Tala's hand, remembering the pain of watching her die, just before he did. "It just kept coming back to me. And I can still picture the way you looked at me, when you called me a son. And you crushed my heart, with your fist as Tala laid bleeding at my feet, dying because of you."

"Cisco, I'm sorry," Eobard said.

"Yeah, it sucked," Cisco scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Not for killing you. I'm sure I had a good reason," Eobard said. Tala snarled at him, her eyes flashing blue. "I'm sorry for the fact that you're able to retain traces of another timeline. You're able to see through the vibrations of the universe. It means... I wasn't sure until just now."

"Sure of what?" Cisco said, walking into the pipeline itself.

"The night the particle accelerator exploded, you were affected too." Tala held Cisco, feeling his hands start to shake.

"What are you talking about?" Cisco scoffed. "No. I wasn't."

"Don't be afraid, Cisco." Eobard said. "A great and honorable destiny awaits you now. I only hope that as you're living your great adventure, that you remember who gave you that life. And that it was given out of love."

Tala pulled Cisco backwards, shutting the vault door and collapsing against the wall in the hallway.

"I should be the one melting down, what's wrong?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala in concern.

"I feel vibrations. And the accelerator is going crazy with them," Tala said, pressing the heel of her hand to her temple.

"That's why you've been so out of it since it turned on. Because it's hurting you?" Cisco asked. Tala nodded, glaring in the direction of the thing causing her so much pain.

"Everything vibrates. It's just the matter of how much. This thing vibrates more than the energy of something about to explode," Tala complained, straightening and starting toward the lab. "I'll just be glad when this whole pile of bullshit is done with."

They entered the lab, just as Caitlin did, heading toward Ronnie. Tala sat down on a desk, trying to clear her head of the particle accelerator's vibrations.

"We have a problem," Martin said as he entered the room.

"Another one?" Tala asked, rolling her eyes.

"The calculations. There is a danger," Martin started.

"I know, I'm ready to take the risk," Barry said, thinking the professor meant to the speedster.

"No, not just to you, but to everyone. Wells didn't tell us everything," Martin said.

"Shocker," Tala scathed.

"Barry, even if you do reach the right speed, colliding with the hydrogen particle, there is a chance that explosion could create a singularity," Martin said. Tala dropped her head into her hands, groaning loudly.

"What's a singularity?" Caitlin asked, nervous.

"A black hole. We could destroy Central City," Tala said, rubbing her head.

"For starters," Martin said. "If we create a singularity here, and then cannot control it, we could be looking at a global catastrophe."

"So long, and thanks for all the fish," Cisco quoted, rubbing his hand up and down Tala's spine to offer comfort. She leaned into his side and looked across the room at her friends.

"Can anything go right today? I still say we use the tungsten and let him blow up," Tala complained, smiling slightly at having Cisco's arms around her, even if it was only temporary.

Martin turned and left the room, heading up to the cortex. Caitlin and Ronnie followed along with Barry leaving Cisco and Tala alone for a brief moment.

"Maybe I should've stayed in Starling," Tala muttered, rubbing her temple. "I feel like if I hadn't come here, none of this would be happening."

"Tala, this isn't your fault. Wells is the one that screwed us all over," Cisco said, carding his fingers through her hair. "And besides, if you'd stayed there, I never would've met you. And every bad thing that's happened aside, meeting you was an amazing part of this year."

"If you say so," Tala sniffed, blinking tears out of her eyes. "C'mon, let's go find out how to save the world. Eobard does realize that if the world ends today, he won't have a future to get back to, right?"

"I don't think so, no," Cisco said, shaking his head. They walked to the cortex, hand in hand. Cisco sat Tala down in his chair, standing behind her and leaning against the desk.

"Well sure, there's a bit of a risk," Wells said.

"I would hardly refer to possibly causing an extinction level event as a _bit of a risk_ ," Tala scathed, glaring up at the monitor on the wall.

"Yea, and your accelerator's been about as reliable as the beater I drove in high school," Joe said, making Tala smile softly. Cisco put his hands on the assassin's shoulders, squeezing slightly.

"Let me ask you a question," Eobard chuckled, looking directly at the camera in his cell. "How many Metahumans, how many dangers have we faced this year together? Or did you forget that was me fighting alongside each and every one of you? I have been planning this for almost two decades, it will work."

"And how do we make sure we don't open a black hole in the middle of Central City?" Cisco asked, glaring at the monitor. Tala reached up and placed her hand over top of his; trying to offer him the same level of comfort he was giving her.

"So, once the wormhole stabilizes, Barry will have one minute and fifty two seconds to alter the past and return to this time," Eobard explained. "If and when he does that, you can close the wormhole, and we can all live happily ever after. Almost two minutes. More than enough time to save Nora."

"But not time enough to stop you from going home?" Barry asked. Eobard shrugged, a cocky smile on his face. Tala twitched, wanting to wipe the smirk off his face.

"Everything's a choice." Eobard shrugged.

"How do you know I won't just let Tala stop you?" Barry asked.

"She can't," Eobard said. "The vibrations from the pipeline are too much for her to handle. She's struggling right now, isn't she, Cisco?"

"That's why you said I'd be important, isn't it?" Tala asked. "Not for the Time Sphere like I'd assumed but because I can stop you, but only at the risk of my own life."

"The risk of your life?" Caitlin asked.

"Remember when Barry and I fought Hartley, and Hartley found the resonance to nearly kill Barry?" Tala asked. "The particle accelerator vibrates at that specific frequency that will do serious damage to me."

"It's why she's been shaking and looking sleep deprived since the accelerator turned on," Cisco added.

"But back to focus, what if Barry's late?" Tala asked, pushing the conversation away from her.

"He won't be. I believe in you, Barry. Always have," Eobard said. "So I guess the question is, do your friends and family believe in you as much as I do?"

Caitlin turned off the monitors and Tala sank back into the chair, clenching her fist to stop the tremors she felt from the accelerator. The assassin took a deep breath, trying to force her body to heal. She turned as Barry walked into a different room, a forced smile on his face. Joe followed him, holding his hand up to prevent anyone else from following them. Tala leaned back against Cisco and sighed, exhaustion in her eyes.

"Are you okay Tala?" Caitlin asked. "Doctor Wells..."

"Was right. But I'm okay," Tala said.

"You better be! I did not come all the way to this condemned building for you to look anything less than perfect," a new voice called from the doorway. The team turned and saw Cody and Kyle standing there with a dark haired woman. "Where is my bride?"

"Cynthia! Wonderful to see you again," Cisco cheered, moving to hug the woman. She grabbed his chin and turned his head in different angles, inspecting him closely. She hummed, frowning slightly.

"Kyle, give him his clothes. Cody, you have the clothing for the groom," Cynthia ordered. "Tala and the bride, you come with me."

"What's going on?" Caitlin asked.

"You're getting married, Doctor Snow," Tala said, grabbing Caitlin's hands and pulling her out of her chair. "Ronnie and I have been planning this for a few days. Come on."

Tala dragged Caitlin to her gym while Cynthia followed behind with two garment bags and a case of supplies for the girls. Cisco shook his head and accepted the clothing from Kyle, smiling.

"This is a surprise, even for me," Cisco said. "I didn't know this was happening."

"I wanted to surprise Caitlin with it, but I'm surprised Tala didn't tell you," Ronnie said, taking his clothes with a look of mild surprise. "I'm also amazed with how much detail she's pushed into this."

"Is this actually binding?" Ronnie asked Stein, who had volunteered to perform the ceremony. Tala stood a few steps away, watching for Caitlin, who Cynthia had taken longer on.

"My father made me become a rabbi before he would send me to MIT," Martin explained to his other half. "This will be legit, as the kids say."

Tala choked down a laugh at hearing the sixty four year old professor call something 'legit.'

"No kids say that," Ronnie said, shaking his head slightly.

"Let's not fight on our wedding day," Martin said. Tala lost her battle with not laughing and leaned against Cisco, until she turned and caught sight of Caitlin. The dress Tala had bought fit her perfectly, and Cynthia had done wonders with the simple makeup and hair.

"If it's alright with everyone, I'd like to skip all the Hebrew," Martin said.

"Thank you!" Tala laughed, smiling at the rabbi.

"I've learned a lot about merging one's life with another this past year," Martin started, glancing at Ronnie. "And yet, for all the incredible advancements in science we've all been party to, the mystery that brings two people together through love is still the province of magic. Mister Ramon, the rings please."

Cisco ducked forward, kneeling, holding out two rings that Ronnie made in the lab. Tala placed her hand on his shoulder and grabbed the handmade rings out of his hands, and placed the two engraved wedding bands in their place.

"I went ahead and got these made too. I hope you don't mind," Tala said, smiling at the couple. Caitlin handed Tala her bouquet, beaming at her. They slid the rings on each other's fingers, smiling at each other.

"I have everything and everyone that I could ever need right here," Caitlin said, looking around. "And if all the events of the past year have led us to this moment, it was worth it. I love you, Ronnie."

Cody and Kyle started taking pictures, to document the beautiful and simple ceremony.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," Martin said.

"Stop telling me what to do," Ronnie said, grabbing Caitlin and kissing her gently. Tala started the applause, and everyone picked it up. Tala reached into Cody's bag, pulling out a bottle of champagne. With a wave of her hand, she pushed a dozen champagne flutes into existence and poured the bubbly into them.

"To Caitlin and Ronnie, may their happily ever after last forever more," Tala said, raising her glass.

"Cheers," Cisco said, tapping his glass against hers.

"Thank you, Tala, for all this," Caitlin said after taking a sip of the champagne. "Especially the dress and the rings, Fire and Ice? How did you know?"

"Your energy reminds me of ice. Slow and steady. Ronnie is literally half of Firestorm and his energy is fast and hot and wild. Therefore the engraving, _Fire and Ice_ ," Tala explained, wrapping her arm around Cisco's waist.

Tala leaned against Cisco and Joe for support as the team stood around the entrance to the pipeline to send Barry off. Caitlin hugged him before stepping back to take Cisco's place in supporting the assassin.

"Okay, there are gonna be three yous back there," Cisco said. "The you from the future, who saved younger you from the Reverse-Flash, and now 'you' you. Remember, wait until future you gets younger you out of there and then you can go and save your mom."

"Piece of cake," Barry said.

"May the speed force be with you," Cisco said, grabbing Barry's arms. Tala took a shaky step forward, losing the remaining color in her cheeks.

"If this changes things, I want you to try and remember this. If you need anything from me, find me and simply tell me that I'm not a lone wolf," Tala said, leaning against the scarlet speedster. "I'll know what that means and I'll help you, no questions asked. About what you need anyway, I'll ask a thousand questions about how you know that phrase."

Barry nodded helping her back to Cisco, before turning to face Joe.

"Goodbye, Dad," he said. Tala smiled gently, grinding her teeth together against the vibrations from the accelerator. Joe pulled Barry into a tight hug.

"Goodbye, son." Barry turned to Iris next.

"Iris..."

"You don't have to say anything, I already know." Tala watched as Iris pressed a kiss to Barry's forehead. "I hope whatever life you get it's enough for you, that it makes you happy."

"You too," Barry said, nodding. He nodded to Eddie before Cisco opened the vault door. Tala groaned as she was hit with a new wave of vibrations. Barry looked back at them before Cisco closed the vault door. Tala reached into her pocket and pulled out a syringe of Lazarus waters, injecting them into her thigh. She hissed as the needle pierced her skin, but gained some more color to her cheeks.

Tala lead the way back to the cortex, placing her hand on Martin's shoulder.

"Remember Mister Allen, assuming you achieve the proper velocity and open the wormhole, you will only have one minute and fifty two seconds to save your mother and return," Martin said into the comms. "Or else..."

"I know," Barry replied.

Tala felt another set of vibrations as Barry started running around the accelerator ring. It set her teeth on edge, leaving her feeling like she had just dove into a pool of ice water.

"The accelerator's structural integrity is holding," Ronnie said, looking over his wife's shoulder at a monitor. The building shook.

"What was that? Is Barry okay?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, that'll be the sonic boom. He just passed Mach two," Tala said. She pulled for her armor and whispered a protection spell around herself, trying to alleviate the pain. She looked down as Martin's coffee started floating.

"Inject the hydrogen particle now," the professor said, turning to Cisco. Tala watched as the particle and Barry collided, sending a shockwave through the building that even Iris felt.

"What was that, what happened?" Iris asked, looking to Caitlin and Tala for answers.

"Barry, he's gone," Caitlin said, not finding a GPS or telemetry from the suit on any of the screens.

"Look, the wormhole," Martin said, pointing to a monitor. "And it's stable, start the clock."

Caitlin reached over and started a countdown. Tala leaned against Cisco and hoped. She hoped for the sake of her friend that everything worked out for him. She hoped that this would have a happy ending for everyone in the room.

"I believe it's time to say goodbye to Harrison Wells," Martin said. Tala stood up straight; a sudden sense of foreboding filling her senses, like it did the night the accelerator went off.

"I'm going down too," Tala said, pulling out her bow.

"Tala you can't!" Caitlin said. "The vibrations..."

"Cait, I'm getting the same bad feeling now that I got the night this building exploded," Tala thundered "I am not letting them go down there without me for back up. Now let's go."

Tala followed Joe down to the pipeline, gritting her teeth against the vibrations. They saw Eobard in his reverse flash suit walking toward the time sphere.

"It's beautiful," Eobard said, looking at it. "Rip Hunter would be impressed."

"Rip Hunter is a bastard," Tala said, glaring at Eobard. "And so are you."

"I'm surprised to see you down here, Little Wolf," Eobard said, looking at her. They all turned as a winged helmet flew out of the wormhole, skidding to a halt a few feet away from them.

"Now what the hell is that?" Joe asked. Tala shrugged.

"That's my cue to leave," Eobard said. He walked toward Cisco, and Tala pulled him behind her protectively, glaring at the man in the yellow suit. "Thank you, Cisco."

"Don't ever come back," Cisco said, putting a reassuring hand on Tala's back.

Eobard walked over and got in the Time Sphere. Joe holstered his gun, but Tala kept her bow out, not trusting Eobard to not double cross them, again.

"Thirty seconds," Martin said over the PA system. Tala notched an arrow and aimed it at Eobard's back, encouraging him to leave faster. She took a step back, pushing Cisco, Eddie and Joe backwards as the wormhole lit up and Barry came running out, punching Eobard, and shattering the Time Sphere. Tala, Cisco and Joe went flying backward from the force of the explosion. Eddie slid back in the opposite direction.

"Cisco, Cisco!" Tala said, kneeling down next to him. She reached out and felt for a pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he started stirring.

"You didn't save her?" Eobard hissed at Barry. "Why? Why? You could have had the life you wanted. You could have had everything you ever wanted!"

"I already do," Barry said, standing. Eobard pulled his cowl up.

"Not for long," he threatened. Tala grabbed her bow and fired an arrow into his calf, trying to hamstring him. She watched as red and yellow lightning chased after each other, fighting. The girl sighed as the accelerator stopped vibrating, allowing her to concentrate on what was going on around her. Tala grabbed Joe and pulled him against the wall, before moving Cisco next to him, pushing a barrier around them to protect them from the speedsters.

"Just so we're clear, after I kill you, I'm going to kill them," Eobard said, holding his vibrating hand above Barry.

"Eobard, no! Please, don't do this!" Tala begged, running to stand next to the two speedsters. Eobard smacked her backwards, causing Tala to cry out in pain as her back hit the ledge. She could feel the Graphene around her shattered vertebrae give, causing her to fall to her knees, unable to support herself.

"And then I'm going to kill your father. I always win, Flash." There was a gunshot, and Eobard stumbled backward. Tala caught Barry as he slumped to the ground, pulling him to lean against her as she turned, looking to see who fired. Eddie was kneeling there, blood on his chest and his sidearm in his hand.

"Eddie! What did you do?" Joe yelled, running over to his partner. Cisco rolled over and looked, before seeing Tala and Barry sitting against the wall. "What did you do? What did you do?"

"No such thing as a coincidence," Eddie gasped, looking at Joe. He turned and locked eyes with Tala, she nodded, tears in her eyes.

"What's happening?" Barry asked, looking at Eobard, who appeared to be stuttering in and out of existence.

"Cisco, help me," Eobard said.

"Eddie's his ancestor," Cisco said. "If Eddie dies, he'll never be born. He's being erased from existence."

Tala and everyone else watched as Eobard shifted from looking like Harrison Wells to looking like himself again.

"No! No, Eddie!" Iris screamed as she ran into the pipeline. "Eddie? No, don't. Eddie, stay with me okay? Stay..."

"He was wrong," Eddie said. "Turns out I'm a hero after all."

"You are, Eddie. You are my hero," Iris cried.

"That's all I ever wanted to be. Your hero," Eddie gasped. Tala turned, letting tears roll down her cheeks as he took his last breath. She reached over with her left hand and pressed two fingers to the memorial on her right bicep. Tala concentrated until Eddie's name appeared under Bette and Sara's names. Barry and Tala turned back to Eobard, who started breaking apart.

"I've controlled your life for so long, Barry," he said. "How will you get along without me?"

"Go to hell Eobard. You've messed with our lives for long enough," Tala growled. She pushed her powers around her neck, bracing it enough for her to stand and pull Barry to his feet. A wormhole reappeared, seeming to float upwards while shaking the building. Tala waved her hand and shoved a wall of her powers up, shielding everyone from falling debris.

"Guys, that's not good!" Cisco shouted. Barry sped over to Iris, pulling her off Eddie.

"Iris, we have to go," Barry said.

"I'm not leaving him!" Iris shouted. Tala grabbed Cisco and started shoving him toward the exit while Barry tried to talk sense into Iris.

"We need to get outside, I need to know what's happening," Tala said, running for the exit. Every step she took jarred her spine, putting more strain on the already upset Graphene wrap. They walked outside, and looked to the sky.

"So that's what we didn't want to happen," Cisco said, looking up at the mass in the sky.

"All hail the mighty glow cloud," Tala quoted, laughing slightly hysterically.

"What's it doing?" Caitlin asked, yelling to be heard over the wind.

"Feeding," Martin guessed. "The singularity won't stop, not even after the Earth is gone. I'm afraid the accretion disc has already assembled."

"Can you please speak English, Martin?" Tala shouted, not having a single clue as to what he said.

"Diffused material that's in orbital motion around the singularity."

"What does that mean?" Caitlin and Tala asked.

"We have to disrupt the motion," Barry said. "Basically, it's just like the tornado, except upside down and bigger. And scarier..."

"And having the ability to eat you and send you Allah knows where!" Tala shouted. She turned and pulled her powers to her, feeling a calm steal over her. She opened her eyes and looked at Cisco, before turning to face the city. Tala's nails sharpened and turned silver as she raised her hands and pushed.

A blue film started creeping over the city, covering and stabilizing buildings that threatened to collapse. Tala gasped as she forced her powers out farther than she had before.

"Barry, if you're going to do something, do it now! I don't know how long I can hold down the city!" Tala shouted, turning to face the speedster. Her eyes were glowing, and her hair still, despite the wind around her. "Cisco, keep an eye on everything down here, I need to get higher up to get a better vantage point."

Barry Allen, the fastest man alive took off running, while Tala Merlyn, Warith al Sahir, pushed her powers under her, creating a platform for her to stand on, taller than Star Labs, and the surrounding towers.

Tala looked around and flung her arms out, sending blue tendrils flying visibly in every direction, trying to pin the city to the earth while Barry tried to diffuse the singularity. She panted with exertion and pain as her shattered vertebrae protested every movement. Tala looked out over the city, before glancing at Barry's trail of lightning, speeding toward near certain death.


	27. 201 The Man Who Saved Central City

"And if no one else has anymore questions?" Tala asked, looking around the room. "Wonderful, then we will adjourn for the day. Drive safe everyone."

Tala watched the Board members leave before she dropped her head to the table, enjoying the cold easing her headache. She heard the pill bottle being placed in front of her as well as a glass of water and she looked up, meeting the worried eyes of Cisco and Cody.

"I'm okay, I just need some sleep. And I don't need those," Tala said, pushing the bottle away.

"Tala, there's someone here to see you," Kyle said, leaning into the room. She sighed and waved for him to allow them entry. Kyle left, and Martin and Clarissa Stein entered the room, smiling at Tala.

"Martin, Clarissa! How are you?" Tala said, standing from her chair. Cisco grabbed her arm and walked her over to the professor and his wife, letting her lean on him. Tala greeted Martin and Clarissa warmly before glaring at Cody, who took advantage of her greeting to drop a pill on her tongue. He offered her the glass of water with a smile and nodded when she swallowed.

"Tala, my dear, why are you refusing to take your medicine?" Martin asked, sitting in an empty chair. "You know they're only there to help you."

"I hate being dependent on something, you know this. It's the reason I throw a fit when I need to use the Lazarus waters to stay alive," Tala complained, leaning on Cisco until she was sitting again. "Besides, I have too much to do to take medication and the half dozen vitamins and supplements you lot want me on."

"Tala, it's a pill for inflammation for the tendons surrounding your spine so you can move without pain," Cisco lectured. "The one you take at night is to battle the insomnia you have developed and the vitamins are to make sure that while your vertebrae are healing they grow strong."

"If you don't keep taking them regularly, I'll call Caitlin," Cody threatened. "Or Felicity."

Tala glared at him balefully, before nodding. Martin, Cody and Cisco smiled at each other before Cody went to go answer the ringing phone in the office down the hall. Tala pulled out her phone and smiled at the picture she had as her background. It was a team photo, of everyone, just before the singularity. Caitlin was in her wedding dress and looked beautiful.

"How is she doing?" Tala asked, looking at Martin. He shook his head. "I didn't think so. I've started work on fundraisers to rebuild the city, and I've already planned a memorial here for Eddie and Ronnie. Eventually I'm going to need to go to Starling, sorry, Star City, for Ray's memorial."

"You've had too many funerals recently," Cisco said, taking her hand. "Between the two we lost here, Ray, and Ra's?"

"My father is Ra's al Ghul now, the previous head doesn't get a funeral. I do mourn him, but not as much as the other names I have had to add to my memorial," Tala said, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm tired of loss, Cisco."

"It is on behalf of Eddie Thawne, that Merlyn Industries makes this donation to CCPD. While he may be lost to us, he is still a hero for serving," Tala said, leaning heavily on the podium in front of her as she stood in front of the press with Cisco next to her, Cody and Kyle flanking them. "Because of this, Merlyn Industries has decided to create a Metahuman advisory division for CCPD. It will create special things, like the riot shields designed to withstand temperatures of absolute zero, to safely contain dangerous Metahuman criminals."

"We would like it to be known as well that it will only be the criminal Metahumans we and the CCPD will be targeting. As long as you are a law abiding citizen, we have no issue with you," Cisco said, wrapping his arm around Tala's waist to support her better.

"Correct. Also, as a gift to the Police Department, any injuries, damages or additional costs that were caused at the hands, or the result of Metahuman criminals will be reimbursed in full by Merlyn Industries," Tala said, smiling politely at the reporters and the gathered police officers. "Any questions?"

"Tala, Cisco," Iris called out, holding her phone out to record the announcement. They nodded at their friend, allowing her to ask her question. "What do you have to say about the rumors that the event was caused by dangerous materials and technologies created by the Merlyn Industries Theoretical Science Division, previously known as Star Labs?"

"Star Labs shouldn't have been able to cause such a catastrophic event, for both Harrison Wells and I swore multiple oaths that we would never rebuild the particle accelerator," Tala said decisively. "It is true that Harrison Wells hasn't been heard from since the event, but if he had anything to do with the creation of a black hole, I assure you and everyone else that Merlyn Industries will fully cooperate with the investigation into Harrison Wells."

"Miss Merlyn, Mister Ramon," Another reporter from CCPN, stepped forward. Cisco nodded to him. "I was hoping you could talk about your injury, and how that will affect the company?"

"Yes, of course. As many people have noticed, I use a cane or I lean entirely on Francisco when moving around. When the Flash and Haven were saving the city, I was struck by a piece of falling debris," Tala said, sticking with the cover story they had created. "Having already been living with three shattered vertebrae, being hit with such force reopened that wound, as it were. I am still able to continue my day to day life, but it will be difficult for me to participate in many groundbreaking ceremonies, making me grateful for my amazing friends and family."

"I think that will be all for the day, thank you all for your time," Cisco said, nodding to Cody to start creating a path for them to get out of the precinct. With Cody and Kyle clearing a path through the reporters, Cisco was able to help Tala into the elevator, where she straightened up more, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Even with the meds and the Lazarus waters, I'm not healing as fast as Sarie, which is super annoying," Tala complained to Cisco in Spanish. "And why does everything have to hurt?"

"Because you refuse to take pain medication," Cisco replied, shaking his head fondly at the CEO. "If you would do as your doctor says, you'd be in much better shape."

"I was in good enough shape to kick your ass this morning," Tala quipped, smiling at Cisco as they stepped out of the elevator and started toward the car waiting for them.

"I was going easy on you, because of your injury. Oh, I left a folder on Joe's desk, I'll be right back," Cisco said, turning back to the CCPD and running back inside.

"Hello Tala," Malcolm said, sitting opposite his daughter in the back of the car. Tala knelt as quickly as she was able to, given her injury, showing deference to the new leader of the League of Assassins.

"Ra's al Ghul, you honor me with your presence," Tala said in Arabic. "What brings you to my City?"

"Rise, Warith al Ghul, you need not bow to me in these circumstances, nor must you with an injury such as yours," Malcolm replied in English. "I simply wished to check in on my daughter."

"I am fine, and recovering from my ordeal. However, I must ask," Tala said, pulling herself back into her seat with a wince. "Are the rumors true? Is Damian taking steps to ensure Genesis Day? Is HIVE moving?"

"Yes, they are true. I do not know where, or when, but I am working on gaining favor with Damian to discover when it's going to happen," Malcolm said. "I will warn you so you can get your family there safely. I'm sure Damian himself will warn you."

"Bastard wants to adopt me," Tala said, rolling her eyes. "Is there anything else you needed?"

Malcolm simply got out of the car, shutting the door and walking across the street as Cisco ran back out of the precinct, clutching a folder full of blueprints and ideas for the upcoming task force.

"Everything good?" Cisco asked, climbing in next to her. Tala smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling slightly more relaxed than she had in awhile.

"Get them out of here! I can't hold the roof up forever!" Tala shouted, using her powers to hold up the roof of a burning building up while Barry raced around, pulling the people out. Once the floor was empty, he ran back and put out the fires surrounding her. Barry grabbed Tala and raced her out of the building, coming to a halt in front of a crowd of people and a few firefighters.

"Everyone's out chief. It's all yours," Tala said, waving to the firefighters as they ran into the smoking building.

"Thank you Haven, Flash, we would've lost lives without your help," The chief said, shaking both of their hands.

"That's what we're here for," Haven said, wrapping her arms around Barry, who ran them back to Star Labs. "I've gotta shower. Cisco will definitely notice if I come home smelling like a campfire."

"You haven't told him?" Barry asked, adjusting his sweater.

"Dude, you disbanded the team. You only let me back because I threatened you," Tala said, pulling her shirt off as she left the cortex. "Get some sleep Barry, you need it."

Tala walked to the locker room and jumped under the spray of hot water, coating herself in an apple scented body wash to get rid of the smell of smoke. She toweled off and redressed in the sweatpants she had left the house in before running back to the garage to jump on her bike.

"Where have you been?" Cisco demanded, turning on the kitchen light as Tala slipped into the house. She froze and looked at him in a panic. "It's three in the morning, Tala! Where were you?"

Cisco's phone went off, flashing an alert about the burning building saved by the Flash and Haven. Tala smiled sheepishly.

"You were saving a burning building? You're still injured! What were you thinking, you could've been killed!" Cisco shouted, getting up and grabbing Tala by her shoulders, looking her over for injuries.

"Koneko, I'm fine. Kitten, look at me," Tala said, cupping his face gently. "I'm perfectly fine, come upstairs and let me prove it to you."

Tala pulled Cisco into her arms and led him upstairs, pushing him backwards onto the bed.

Tala rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead, pushing her hair out of her eyes, and leaving a streak of grease above her eyebrows. She turned around and leaned against the wall, taking the mug of coffee from Cody.

"I think if I can overcharge supercapacitors here, then we can power the entire cell block with one set of Tachyons. If we set a feedback loop here and where Cisco is, it'll power the dampeners more efficiently," Tala said, looking at the schematics scattered around her feet.

"Boss, I only understood one word in that entire monologue," Cody said, shaking his head.

"I'll start on the feedback loop then," Cisco said through comms. "Do we know if the CFO approved the budget for the tesla superconducting electromagnets yet?"

"For the cell doors? I'm not sure, why?" Tala asked, pulling open the file on her tablet to check.

"Because they were just delivered," Cisco said sheepishly. "Am I gonna get fired?"

"Nope, the budget increase was just approved. Like literally a minute ago," Tala said, passing the tablet back to Cody before turning back to her wiring.

"Boss, the CFO is calling," Cody said, looking at the phone in his hand.

"Patch him through to comms," Tala said starting a feedback loop. "Merlyn and Ramon."

"Tala, Cisco, how are you?" The CFO greeted, sounding overworked.

"Bleeding," Tala said, glancing at her wrist where a piece of copper wiring had cut her. "I hate wiring. I'm a mechanical engineer, not an electrical engineer."

"Tala, I told you to wear your gloves. Make sure you double up on that, by the way," Cisco said fondly. "How are you today Kevin? How's Star City?"

"We haven't died yet, so it's a good day. Do I want to know why I had to approve a fifteen million dollar purchase?" Kevin Reitz asked. Tala wondered if he was shaking his head in exasperation.

"Tesla electromagnets are expensive," Tala shrugged, twisting three wires together in the circuit. "And this freaking city has Metahumans who could easily break out of normal jail cells. We need the super magnets and the tachyons to keep them off the streets."

"It was either this, or keep them in an illegal black site without a trial," Cisco said. "And that would land all of us in jail and the company would probably be shut down by the government or Argus."

"Just, give it a month or two before making any more big ticket purchases. Let me run a full report of our finances and our stock expectations for the rest of this year," Kevin sighed. Tala felt a little sorry for her counterpart. "At least you're better than your father's spending habits. Why did he insist on three different gulfstreams?"

"I have no idea. Did we ever get that third one sold off?" Tala asked, using her pliers to flick a breaker and blinked as the lights turned on around her. "This side is good to go, Cisco, what about your end?"

"All good, Captain Singh will be happy," Cisco said.

"Yes, the third was sold off to the Wayne family. The other is in Starling City, under ownership of your sister, per your request," Kevin confirmed. "Now if that's everything?"

"Of course. Have a good week Kevin, we'll talk at the next board meeting. Cisco, get your ass over here, I think I found a problem," Tala said, nodding to Cody who ended their call with the CFO.

"What's the problem?" Cisco asked, footsteps echoing as he ran over to her. Tala looked at her circuitry with wide eyes before diving toward Cody, covering him with her body and her powers as the feedback loop blew up. "That's the problem. You overcharged the overcharge loop."

"Again," Tala groaned, sitting up and looking around at the mess and debris. "Great. Let's take a break on the dampeners, and work on the doors, before this makes me cry."

"Tala! Wonderful to see you again," The mayor said, standing and holding out his hand for her to shake. Tala smiled at him and shook his hand, before shaking hands with the DA. "This is DA Cecile Horton, and ADA Hudson."

"Nice to meet you both in person, finally. This is Cisco Ramon, my partner, Cody James, my head of security and his husband Kyle, our personal assistant," Tala said, sitting down on the arm of Cisco's chair, draping her arm over his shoulders. "What can I help you with today?"

"We were a little surprised to be called in, especially with the DA and the ADA here," Cisco said, following Tala's powers with his eyes as they coated the room, blocking off all cameras and listening devices, without alerting the three city officials.

"I just wanted to ask for some, advice," Mayor Bellows said, leaning forward in his chair. "About the Metahumans, the Flash, Haven and the singularity I believe it was called."

"You want to know more about them, and what to do about them," Tala inferred. The mayor nodded.

"Can we prosecute them? Are they humans? How exactly did they come to be, and how do we know the Flash and Haven won't turn on the public?" The ADA asked. Tala smiled benignly at them, mentally rolling her eyes at their typical reactions in the face of the unknown.

"We can prosecute them, and they are humans. Just like Cisco and I are, however when the particle accelerator exploded nearly two years ago, it released a ton of theoretical energies, and many of them fused with people. That created Metahumans," Tala explained.

"Sounds like something out of a movie," The DA said, looking up from her tablet, where she appeared to be taking notes.

"That's where we at Star Labs got the idea to call them Metas," Cisco said nonchalantly.

"The cells at Iron Heights that Cisco and I funded will be able to hold them safely where they can't use their abilities," Tala said, feeling the vibrations and heartbeats of the city's leadership.

"And we are supposed to trust that these cells will work?" The ADA asked. Tala smirked and adjusted her glasses.

"Charlie, I understand that you don't like me, and that's fine, I didn't come here to be liked. I came here to get things done that are good for this city, because this is my home," Tala said, glaring at the ADA. "If you are going to be counterproductive to this meeting, I can happily go around you and work solely with the mayor and the DA."

"Actually, I think that would make this meeting a lot smoother, don't you?" Cisco asked, looking at the Mayor.

"I think that would be for the best, at least until ADA Hudson can get over her personal grudges," Mayor Bellows said, nodding at the CEO. "Mister James, would you be so kind as to escort her out please?"

Tala gave a shark like smile to Cisco and Cody, who nodded and gestured for the ADA to walk in front of him as they left the office.

"Now, let's talk business," Tala said, leaning forward. "Iron Heights is now a secure location for the criminal Metahumans we indict, and between Cisco and I we should be able to maintain the upkeep as new technologies become available. We want to beef up the tech the police department has available so we have less injuries and less damages to deal with."

"We want to do something to celebrate the Flash and Haven, for saving the city from the singularity five months ago. We were thinking something along the lines of a day where we celebrate them and give them both keys to the city," DA Horton said, looking between Tala and Anthony Bellows. "We can hold it in a month, and if you two would be willing to sponsor it, I'm certain we could get CCPD to act as security."

"Put it on the six month anniversary, remind the people that we have hope," Tala hummed, liking the idea. "You can present the award, Anthony, and we can start advertisement. That way the Flash knows to come."

"You will be with me when I present them, won't you?" Anthony asked, looking at Tala. She blinked then nodded, smiling widely.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it. Cisco of course will be with the CCPD, working as their Scientific Advisor, but I'll be onstage with you." Tala shook hands with the mayor and the DA and left, Cisco following behind her.

"How are you going to be next to him, and onstage as Haven?" Cisco hissed at her in Spanish as they left City Hall. Tala shook her head and pulled out her phone, pressing four on speed dial.

"Emma, hey, can you be in Central City next month? We need to be in two places at once. Perfect, thanks," Tala ended the call, winking at Cisco.

"Right, but which one is she going to be?" Cisco asked, causing Tala to shrug.

"The first issue is planning this event, and convincing Kevin to let me pay for it out of company funds. "Come on Carmela, we're meeting Iris for lunch, and I'm starving."

"I am so not Carmela. Why can't I be Vito?" Cisco complained.

"Because I'm definitely the mob boss here, Little Kitten." Tala kissed him gently before pulling him out the door to the parking lot, laughing happily.

"Then I will pay for it out of my pocket, Kevin, this is something that Central City needs!" Tala shouted, standing up from her chair. She and Cisco glared down the length of the table at the CFO, who had flown into Central City for that meeting. "Six months ago this city watched the world end in their backyard. Our Delta Wave Sleep Lights have been flying off the shelves faster than we can manufacture them! These people need hope that something resembling normalcy can actually happen here. We don't have a psychopath in a green hood keeping order here."

"What we do have are two people who care enough about this city to go up against the most dangerous criminals this state has to offer," Cisco jumped in, leaning back in his seat. He stretched, locking his fingers together behind his head, looking like he was relaxing at home rather than sitting in a tense board meeting. "And they need our support. The Flash and Haven risked their lives in order to stop the singularity. Tala, I have to go, Singh needs me."

Tala turned and pressed a quick kiss to Cisco's cheek as he stood and left. She turned back to Kevin and the rest of the board with a polite smile, and a fire in her eyes.

"Let's turn it to a vote. There are nine board members, excluding myself, Kevin, and Francisco," Tala said, looking around the room. "We three shall abstain, and the rest of you are to vote in support or in opposition of funding Flash Day with the company's funds. Kevin and I will return in ten minutes, because I am also needed at the precinct. Please know that we do need an answer today so we can finalize the event which will happen tomorrow, the fact that we are still discussing this is infuriating."

"Tala, if the event is tomorrow, what could there possibly be to fund?" A board member asked. "Surely everything is already finished?"

"Almost everything, yes. But CCPD can't pull on duty cops to act as security, and their budget will not allow them to pull additional forces. As I have already paid for everything out of my trust vault, I was hoping the company could at least pay for the off duty police officers' day. They are giving up their free time, with only Detective Joe West being officially on the clock during the ceremony."

Tala turned and left the conference room, Kevin following her to her office.

"Why are you pushing for this so hard? You hated the two hoods in Star City," Kevin said, sitting down on the couch. Tala looked around the room, wondering how to answer that very loaded question.

"Ah what the hell. I didn't hate the Arrows. They killed my father, therefore I was expected to be a mourning daughter who lost her whole family in one day," Tala said. "In reality, well..."

Tala turned and faced Kevin, pulling for her armor. It appeared around her as she pushed her powers out. Her eyes started glowing blue as her nails sharpened.

"You're Haven. You're the blue arrow," Kevin stuttered, jumping to his feet. "No wonder you want to fund everything to do with this, you're already doing most of the cleanup."

"It's exhausting, and I'm barely sleeping as it is," Tala said, pushing her armor away and sitting down on the couch opposite Kevin, who sank into the cushions. "My father broke my neck the night of the undertaking, not the earthquake. A Metahuman called the Reverse Flash rebroke the protections I had around the shattered vertebrae, not falling debris. The Flash and I have been working around our normal, human lives to fix the city. In addition to this team of vigilantes, I'm supporting a lot of my old team back in Star City because they need more money than they can bring in."

"You're saving two cities, what's next, all of history?" Kevin joked, laughing slightly. Tala scoffed.

"Rip Hunter offered, but I turned him down. Especially because he grabbed me from the wrong time. Sucks for him, he should've paid better attention in history class," Tala said. Kevin gave her a blank look. "Don't ask, it's way too difficult to explain."

"Tala, the board has finished their vote," Cody said, nodding his head. The CEO and the CFO walked back into the conference room, less tense than they had left it.

"The board has decided to have Merlyn Industries pay the officers for their time acting as security for the Flash day event," a woman on the board said as they entered. "Many of us will be at the event, and we feel security should be as good as we can get it."

Barry landed from his run in a crouch, leaving him facing Captain Cold and Heatwave. Their guns were humming, signaling that they were primed and ready to either freeze him, or melt him - depending on whichever hit him first. Lightning crackled in his eyes as he stood. He ran forward, avoiding the blasts, before running past them and up the building behind them for momentum. He turned around and started running down, gravity adding to his speed. Barry was careful to not pass Mach one, lest he blew out the windows in the building. He knew Tala would kill him if he did that again.

"He's coming back around!" Mick Rory, otherwise known as Heatwave called to his partner.

"Yeah, to die!" Leonard Snart shouted. He was watching Barry, trying to think of the next best possible move that wouldn't land him and his fuzzy parka in Iron Heights. Lisa was down in Coast City and wouldn't be able to break him out of prison again. Leonard charged his gun as Barry came back down and slammed Mick into a nearby car. Barry used the heat gun to fire at Leonard, forcing him to dive and roll out of the way.

"Make sure you get that cars license plate, Bear," Tala's voice scolded in his ear. "I'll send them money to fix the dent Mick just caused. Barry could almost hear her rolling her eyes at him over comms.

While Barry hit Mick twice, Leonard used his turned back to fire a blast of absolute zero at the Flash. Barry let out a surprised yell before running to the other side of the car. He heard Tala let out an exasperated sigh.

"I swear one of these days I will kill you!" Leonard shouted, just as a blast of fire threw him forward. Firestorm hovered in the air above him, dropping Tala to the ground, where she landed with her bo staff. She looked down at Leonard, smiling at his antics before she took apart the Cold gun.

"I was late again, wasn't I?" Ronnie asked. Tala laughed as Barry looked up at him.

"Right on time," Barry answered. Tala reached over and let Barry scoop her up and run her back to Star Labs, right as the sirens from the cops were audible. Firestorm flew on ahead.

The reigning heroes walked back into the Cortex with broad smiles on their faces. Ronnie and Martin separated as Cisco reached out for a high five from Barry.

"Two down at the same time?" Cisco asked. "Superhero double play, baby!"

"Didn't do it alone," Barry said, smiling down at Tala.

"You're never alone, Barry," Caitlin said as she walked over to hug her husband. He greeted her with a kiss.

"Neither are you Mrs. Raymond," Ronnie said. Tala rolled her eyes fondly at the couple that was still in their honeymoon phase.

"Thank you for not doing that when I was inside you," Martin groaned theatrically.

"It happened one time! Let it go," Ronnie protested, while Caitlin looked sheepishly at the ground.

"Snart and Rory, you're gonna put a cop like me out of a job," Joe said. He pulled his foster son into a hug, smiling proudly.

"Just trying to help," Barry said. "And make sure that Tala over here doesn't get rusty."

"Hey now, watch it. Super speed or not, I'll still kick your ass, Sarie," Tala said, shoving his shoulder. She walked back over to Cisco, pushing her armor away.

"You do more than help, Barry," Iris said. "You give the people of this city hope."

"You're the hero, Barry," Eddie said as he clapped the Flash on the back. Barry beamed at Iris' fiancé before turning to the next voice.

"Congratulations everyone. A spectacular victory. A milestone if you will. Mister Allen, I believe there's nothing left I can teach you," Harrison Wells said from his chair. He paused and pushed himself to his feet. "I believe... That you're ready to do all of this on your own."

Barry closed his eyes slowly and opened them. He was still in the Cortex, but he was alone. He knew where everyone was, but they weren't with him. One of the computers nearby started beeping, catching his attention. He flashed over there and sent the information to Tala, before changing into his suit and running.

 _My name is Barry Allen, and I am the fastest man alive. When I was a child, I saw my mother killed by something impossible. My father went to prison for her murder. Then an accident made me the impossible, and I became the Flash. I used my powers to find the man responsible for my mother's death. I thought I would finally get justice for my family, but I failed. It's been six months since the Singularity. I'm on my own now, except for Tala. I decided it's better that way. It keeps the people I care about safe. There's only one thing I can do now. I run._

Barry was crouching next to a body when Joe walked up. The CSI Metahuman was tucking a paintbrush into an evidence bag, hoping it had something to help catch the killer.

"How's it going?" Joe asked. Barry looked up, not having heard him approach.

"Hey, uh, good. How you doing?" Barry asked in turn. Despite working together, and living together, they didn't talk much due to their dovetailing schedules. Barry and Joe both worked full days in the precinct, and Barry spent a good portion of his off time running around the city with Tala, fighting against everything from muggers to robbers, to the occasional metavillain.

"Good," Joe answered. "So, the victim. His name is Al Rothstein. He's a welder here at the nuclear plant. Co-worker found him this morning. So, what do you got?"

"Petechiae on his face and the whites of his eyes, and this bruising around his neck..." Barry trailed off, gesturing to the large, continuous bruise.

"Oh, so he was strangled," Joe concluded. Barry hummed his agreement.

"By someone very strong and very large," Barry said.

"Or, something?" Joe asked. His first thought was a dark sewer and an angry telepathic gorilla. Despite happening nearly seven months ago, Gorilla Grodd was fresh in his mind, and his occasional nightmares.

"This wasn't Grodd," Barry said.

"Oh, thank God," Joe sighed in relief. The detective pushed himself to his feet.

"Look, I'll let you know when I find more," Barry said packing his CSI equipment up in its case.

"So, this Flash Day thing," Joe said, catching Barry's attention and getting him to pause before running off. "I'm hoping you're planning on making an appearance. Tala already said she'd be there. Hell, she's paying for most of it."

"I haven't decided," Barry said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Bear, Tala said the mayor's trying to give you two the keys to the city!" Joe said. Barry shook his head.

"Yeah, I don't need an award."

"You love getting awards!" Joe said, knowing why Barry didn't want this, but still wondering why he was protesting so much. "Like all those science trophies you got back in high school?"

"Those I deserved," Barry said. "I'll let you know what I find, alright?" Barry walked off without waiting for an answer, pulling his case over his shoulder. Joe watched him go with a sigh before he went back to studying the crime scene.

Barry pushed his way past the police tape, ignoring the workers and police officers milling around as he walked back to his lab. He didn't notice a man take a picture of him; hiding behind a wall.

"I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in," Tala groaned as she looked in a folder for the receipts her and Cisco had accumulated for things they were working on to catch Metahumans. Cody pulled into the precinct's parking lot and Tala darted out the door before he had the car in park. She ran up to the proper floor, taking the stairs two at a time. She skid to a halt next to Cisco who exited the elevator, pushing a cart of tech.

"Flash day is almost here. A special downtown rally to honor the man and woman who saved Central City. It's been six months since the Flash and Haven saved Central City from the freak black hole that erupted in the sky..." The newscaster was saying. The TV showed banners in red and blue with lightning bolts decorating the park in town. Captain Singh walked up to Joe, who was watching the report idly.

"Joe, where are we at with the murder at the nuclear plant?" Singh asked. He sounded tired, and overworked.

"Barry's still analyzing the evidence, but there was definitely something weird," Joe said.

"Yeah, which is why I let you have that Anti-Metahuman Task Force," Singh replied. "Speaking of which, where is your scientific advisor?"

Tala and Cisco walked into the room, waving to Detective West as they did. Cisco was pushing a cart of only he knew what, while Tala juggled folders and paperwork, a pen tossed haphazardously in her hair.

"Ho, ho, ho! Fear the beard!" Cisco cheered, causing Tala to roll her eyes. Singh glared at him, and Cisco quickly lost his smile. "It's a very distinguished look, sir."

"What is all this, Mister Ramon?" David asked, looking at the cart. Tala shrugged, not having a clue what idea Cisco was working on now.

"Oh, this right here? This is a little something I'm working on," Cisco explained gathering up the receipts lying atop the pile. "I'm cooking it up for Joe and the task force to take down Metahumans. I think I'm gonna call it the boot. Oh, Tala, here are the receipts."

Tala took them and shoved them in her folder, not caring what they said. David nodded to the engineers and walked to his office.

"Oh and Captain, one more thing..."

"You are not getting a badge, Mister Ramon," Singh called over his shoulder. Tala put her hand on Cisco's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"He's really stingy with those badges," Cisco said, pouting slightly. Tala laughed and pulled hers out of her pocket, inspecting it before winking at Cisco.

"Yeah, cops are funny that way," Joe said, laughing at the two of them. "So, you really think you can get this to work? Don't have me caught out on the street with my pants down."

"No one wants to see that, Joe. It'll work," Tala said, throwing her arm around Cisco's waist and pulling him close.

"Once we're done, CCPD will totally have what it takes to take down a metahuman," Cisco said, leaning against the assassin. "Especially now that Barry's decided to go all _Lone Wolf McQuade_ and fight crime on his own."

"Does that make me Ramos?" Tala asked, looking up at the movie buff.

"I know right? Have either of you spoken to him?" Joe asked.

"I tried, I had to threaten him just so I could go out with him," Tala said, sitting on Joe's desk. "He's adamant that he go it alone, for fear of anyone else getting hurt. His reaction to my injury was awful. He still flinches when he sees my choker."

"We haven't even heard from Caitlin since she started work at Mercury Labs," Cisco said, slumping slightly. Caitlin moved from Merlyn Industries to Mercury Labs three months ago, but neither of the remaining Merlyn employees had heard from her sense.

"Hi Cisco, Tala! Hi Dad!" Iris said as she walked into the room, hugging her dad. "Hey, I was wondering if you'd talked to Barry about the rally?"

"We were just saying," Joe said, gesturing to the two engineers.

"I'm sorry, but I still can't believe they're giving you two the keys to the city," Cisco laughed, looking at Tala. "Although, technically as members of Team Flash, we should all be getting keys."

"You know Barry, the more we try to convince him to do something, the less he's gonna wanna go," Joe said, shaking his head.

"I'm going to be there, twice over, the Flash better be," Tala complained. "Someone should try and get through to him."

"Maybe his best friend," Joe suggested looking at Iris.

"Joe, believe me, I've tried," Cisco said. Tala and Iris looked at him in amusement.

"I meant her," Joe said, pointing to Iris. Cisco looked at her in offense, making Tala laugh.

"Let's go assemble this boot thing. You can test it on me to make sure it works," Tala said, leading him away. Iris walked toward the wall of fallen officers and focused in on Eddie's face. His loss was felt by all of team Flash, but Iris had lost her fiancé, and she felt it more than any of them.

Tala pulled out three wires behind the counter and started stripping them, finding the damage and tearing out that specific wire.

"It's going dark for a minute," Tala shouted, jerking it out completely before replacing it. The lights flickered back on and the CC Jitters sign finally lit up. "I'll take that as a win."

Tala turned as she felt Iris' energy walk in the building just as Barry came to stop at the counter.

"You know, if you ever decided that you didn't wanna be the Flash, you have a good future at being a contractor," Iris said to Barry. Tala ducked out of the building, and went to her bike, glad that Iris was there to talk sense into Barry.

"Thanks," Barry laughed, looking around at the progress that he and Tala had made. "Yeah, we're just trying to put it all back exactly how it was before the... You know. Tala helped by keeping most of the city covered, but there are still damages."

Barry cleared his throat, feeling the weight of what had happened fall back on his shoulders. He turned and started pushing things around to distract himself from it.

"Seems like a lot of local businesses are being rebuilt at night," Iris said. "In secret. I was thinking about writing an article about it for the paper."

"Don't. Please," Barry said. It didn't come out as a request, or a suggestion, it was weighted as an order, a plea for Iris to leave him and the Flash out of anything resembling a spotlight.

"Look, people have heard the stories. They've read the articles," Iris said. "They've maybe even seen the red streak racing past them, but they have never seen the Flash, Barry."

"So that's why you're here?" Barry concluded. "You came to talk me into going to the rally? 'Cause, I'm - I'm not gonna go."

"People just want to thank the man who saved Central City," Iris said.

"Well, they can't, 'cause that's not me," Barry deflected. It wasn't modesty coloring his tone, it was pain, hurt that turned it hard and cold. "You should know that, better than anyone."

Barry turned away and Iris sighed softly. She knew what had happened that day. It gave her nightmares. She stepped forward and handed Barry a flier for Flash Day. It was one of the blue ones she had found tucked in her mailbox that morning.

"Central City believes in the Flash. And so do I," Iris said. She turned and left, leaving through the back entrance since the front was still mostly boarded up.

 _Barry ran as fast as he could up the debris to the Singularity. A building had managed to pull free from the ground and avoided Tala's attempted to pin everything down; it became his ramp to the black hole that was growing, feeding. He ran in a circle, remembering taking a tornado down like this. He was just a glimpse of red in a swirling circle of blue._

 _Tala stood on a platform of her powers, pushing visible blue tendrils outward in every direction as she tried to hold Central City down to the ground. She felt for the heartbeats of the people she was protecting and sent smaller tendrils to hold them to nearby buildings, light posts, anything sturdy enough to keep them from flying into the abyss that could kill them all._

" _Brilliant!" Martin Stein shouted over the whipping winds. "He's contained the Singularity by adding to its angular momentum!"_

" _Barry, it's stabilizing," Cisco shouted into his phone, connected through Star Labs' satellite to the two Metahuman's comms. "Keep doing what you're doing!"_

" _I'm not sure how much longer I can," Barry panted heavily. "Cisco!"_

" _Now what?" Joe asked, wondering what they needed to do to get the cloud of death out of the sky._

" _We have to merge the inner and outer event horizons," Martin said._

" _How do we do that?" Ronnie asked. He didn't know what that sentence meant, but Caitlin was in danger, and he would never stand by and let that happen._

" _By separating in the eye of it," Martin said. "The amount of energy from the fissure should do the trick. It's our only hope, Ronald."_

 _Martin turned and saw the looks of horror on Caitlin and Cisco's faces. Ronnie looked torn between staying down on the ground to be with Caitlin, safe, where he knew Barry and Tala could protect him, and doing what needed to be done. Ronnie looked at Caitlin, and he knew what needed to be done. He pulled away from Caitlin._

" _Ronnie, no! It's too dangerous. What if you can't escape the inrush?" Caitlin asked. She was painfully reminded of a conversation she'd had with Tala when she had reassured the assassin by saying that Ronnie would jump into a black hole if it meant saving her. It was the pipeline all over again._

" _Cait, we have to try," Ronnie said, smoothing down his wife's hair back, trying to tame it in the face of the wind. He pulled her into a kiss, much how he wish he had before the particle accelerator exploded._

 _Martin looked resigned, but knew he would do anything to save Clarissa, even something as stupid as flying straight into a black hole. Tala made room for them, following the conversation through comms and allowed them to fly through her barrier and into the black hole. Barry looked at them, knowing why they were there, but not liking it._

" _Ronnie. Professor," Barry breathed, looking at them, despite running. "No!"_

 _Ronnie and Martin didn't just separate, they ripped the splicer off their chest and exploded apart with the force of a hydrogen bomb. Martin and Barry were shoved away, Martin unconscious, and Barry running, trying to catch the professor. He managed it, and with help of Tala's powers, came to a halt at the foot of a building. Barry immediately jumped up and scanned the sky for any sign of the missing half of Firestorm, but found nothing. The Flash shook Martin back to consciousness._

" _Ronald... Ronald?" Martin asked, looking around in concern. Barry just shook his head._

 _Tala felt the vibrations of the black hole vanish, and started lowering the plane of her barrier to the ground, careful to shift the debris she was holding so it didn't land on anyone. Entire buildings laid in the streets, like a child's toy casually discarded. She stayed in the sky, making sure everything was safe before she lowered herself to the ground, coming to an unsteady stop next to Iris and Caitlin._

 _There weren't words to describe the pain Iris and Caitlin were in, especially with the way Barry looked at Caitlin._

" _I'm so sorry," Barry whispered. Caitlin fell into his arms, already crying. Ronnie was gone, and this time, she felt it in her heart, and her gut when she whispered to herself that he was gone._

 _Tala locked eyes with Barry, words and entire conversations flowing between them as she pulled her powers back to her. Both heroes knew that Ronnie and Martin were the heroes of the day, and without them, the Singularity might have swallowed not just the city, but also the entire world. Tala took a half step forward, intent on offering Iris some comfort, when her spinal injury made itself known. Just as Cisco was running up to them, Tala felt herself collapse, darkness overtaking what she could see. Cisco's reflexes were enough to catch her, to hold her steady before she hit the ground, but it was another crisis on top of two more._

"Emma, hey," Tala said as she answered her phone through comms.

"We have a problem, I can't make it to town," Emma said apologetically.

"Why? Damien said you were free from all HIVE and Genesis Day obligations," Tala asked, mounting her bike.

"I am, but I managed to break my leg," Emma said sheepishly. "And you know better than anyone that the Lazarus waters don't work on bones."

Tala ended the call and kicked her bike to life. Instead of heading to her house, she turned and headed toward City Hall, where the mayor was working late.

"Tala, what can I do for you? Surely you should be home, resting for our big day tomorrow?" Anthony greeted.

"About that, I can't be on stage with you when you present the keys to the city to the Flash and Haven," Tala said, trying to think of a good enough excuse.

"Come now, Tala, surely you don't have stage fright, you suffer through press conferences all the time!" Anthony said. Tala huffed and pulled for her armor and her powers. Anthony Bellows stared at her, blinking owlishly.

"A friend of mine was going to dress as Haven and accept the award on my behalf, but she broke her leg and doesn't have my healing factor," Tala explained, her voice distorted. "Since I cannot be next to you, and be under the hood, I have to choose, and having Haven there is more important than having Tala Merlyn there."

"You, you're Haven, you're the woman who saved the city?" Anthony asked, still staring at her. She nodded, pushing down her hood. "How do you do it all?"

"Lots of coffee, and my father's billions," Tala said cheekily. "I'll see you tomorrow Anthony. Oh, and I trust you won't tell anybody about this?"

Tala pushed her armor away and left the mayor's office, before riding home, intent on a shower to get the sawdust out of her hair, and a full night's sleep before the ceremony. When she got up to her room and saw Cisco, she smiled, realizing that sleep probably wasn't going to happen.

"Are you expecting trouble?" Tala heard Cisco ask Joe over comms. He had finally gotten in the habit of wearing them all the time, like Tala had asked.

"Cops always expect trouble," Joe replied. Tala looked around at the crowd from her vantage point on the roof of a nearby skyscraper. "In this city, I expect super-evil flying monsters."

"That's a solid expectation," Tala and Cisco both said, Tala smiling.

"Well, I'll be," Cisco said.

"What do you see?" Tala asked, finding him in the crowd.

"Caitlin's here," Cisco said. Tala smiled and watched as Anthony walked onto the stage, waving to the crowd.

"Good morning Central City! A year ago, our world changed. Our city became ground zero for some pretty weird stuff," Anthony said, causing Tala to snort, nearly giggling at the understatement. "We got a new breed of criminal. Men and women who defied not only our laws, but physics and reason. But, we got something else, too."

Tala stood and moved to the edge of the building, pushing her powers out around her. She created a walkway that would put her right over top of the stage, and started moving to where she would enter.

"We got Haven, and the Flash. Our wounds run deep, and I know many of you are afraid of what threats tomorrow may bring. But Haven and the Flash don't just protect us, he restores hope where it was lost. That is why I'm honored to present the key to the city to the two who saved Central City. Haven and the Flash!"

Tala pushed the walkway back into tendrils, free falling before her powers caught her, creating an invisible harness and parachute, catching her seconds before she landed on the stage next to Anthony with a thud. Her hood was up and her mask was in place, keeping people from recognizing her as Tala Merlyn. They both waited on stage, before Tala smiled, feeling Barry's energy come racing up.

The crowd started chanting, alternating between Flash and Haven. Tala waved to the crowd, smiling under her hood. She wrapped her arm around Barry and dragged him forward to accept the key. Tala shook hands with Anthony, winking at him.

"The doors to Central City will forever be open for you, Flash and Haven," Anthony said, holding the keys out for them. They reached out to take them as someone screamed.

"Can nothing go right?" Tala groaned, looking around for the source of the scream. "Why would someone attack a rally for two superheroes? Do they not understand that it means we're already here?"

"Look out!" Tala looked up and saw what looked like a hot dog stand flying toward them. She threw her hands up, throwing tendrils out to shield the stage while Barry ran the mayor to safety.

"I'm suddenly glad Emma wasn't here to be me," Tala said, letting the barrier fall, debris showering down around her. She shook her head and jumped onto the railing, looking around before she dropped to the ground.

"Haven, I found our nut. Over here," Barry said. Tala started running toward him.

"Cisco, get the boot, I don't want any casualties!" Tala shouted into her comms.

"The man who saved Central City. Hate to rain on your parade," The masked man said as Tala ran over.

"Do I not even get a mention?" Tala scoffed. The man backhanded Barry out of the way as the speedster ran at him. Tala watched as he shoved the police cruiser backwards with one hand. Cisco's energy suddenly stuttered briefly, causing her to turn and lock eyes with him. His eyes were blank, and he didn't react to Joe's shouting.

"Cisco!" Tala shouted, running over to him. He started and looked at her, blinking rapidly. "The boot?"

"Right!" He turned and pulled it out of the back of Joe's car, while Tala started firing arrows at the party crasher. "Locked and loaded, go!"

Joe aimed and fired the boot, wrapping a titanium-plated bracelet around the ankle of the bad guy of the week. Electricity sparked and crackled up his body, before he broke the device and started growing. Tala blinked at him, wondering what Cisco had put in her coffee that morning.

"Cisco, you said this thing would take him down. He's not going down," Joe said, watching the metahuman in openmouthed shock.

"He went up," Cisco said, staring at the meta. Barry stood up behind them, and Tala looked around for something that could help them. She saw the propane tanks.

"Sarie, propane!" Tala said, pointing. Barry ran over to the propane as Joe passed the Boot Gun back to Cisco and told him to run. Barry sped over carrying two tanks.

"What are you doing?" Joe asked.

"He's throwing, you're shooting, I'm protecting," Tala explained, dropping her bow at her feet before kicking it under Joe's car. She threw a wall up between the Meta and the crowd, protecting them. Joe shot one of the tanks, and Barry pulled them all down to the ground, but not before taking a piece of shrapnel to the thigh. The Meta shrunk down to normal human size and his helmet folded away into his choker.

"That's Al Rothstein," Joe said, pointing at him. "The body we found at the nuclear plant. He's alive."

Tala watched as the helmet recovered Rothstein's head as he ran away. She turned and helped Barry up, looking at the wound on his leg. Tala gripped the shrapnel and met Barry's eyes before he nodded. She pulled the metal out of his leg, bracing her hand on his leg so he didn't kick her on accident.

Barry sped away, probably intent on finding Rothstein. Tala stayed behind and drove to CCPD with Joe and Cisco, pushing her armor away as they did.

"According to the coroner's office," Cisco said after he pulled open the files. "Al Rothstein's body was in the morgue all night, so we can scratch off zombie attack."

"Evil twin?" Tala asked, perching on Joe's desk.

"Nope, only child. And get this, the night the accelerator exploded, Rothstein was on his honeymoon in Hawai'i," Cisco said.

"Romantic. I'm more of a Rome person though," Tala said.

"So we're looking for a guy who's really strong, can grow twice his size, and just happens to look exactly like the guy he murdered?" Joe asked, looking between Cisco and Tala.

"I would think this Meta was really cool if everything about him didn't just terrify me to my core," Cisco said, looking up at Tala.

"Is that what happened to you?" Joe asked, looking intently at Cisco. "You looked really spooked there for a minute."

Cisco started stuttering, trying to come up with an excuse as Iris walked in on the phone.

"I actually see the guy that I can ask about it, right now. Call you back, okay?" Iris said, ending the call as she approached the trio. "Hey. So, the hospital next to the Flash Day rally? The X-ray and CT machines all failed at once. Was that because of you?"

"I did not do anything that would cause that," Cisco said, shaking his head. "I'm ninety two percent sure. I'm gonna go make that a hundred, excuse me."

Cisco grabbed Tala and pulled her out of the precinct, toward their car where Cody was waiting, holding coffee, as usual.

"You okay?" Joe asked Iris, who looked troubled.

"We need to talk," Iris insisted. She looked up at her father with a look that only daughters could pull off. Joe led her over to the windows next to his desk, giving them privacy from eavesdroppers.

"Barry can't do this alone anymore," Iris said.

"That's his plan and I don't know how to talk him out of it. Tala said she was barely able to convince him to let her join in," Joe said, sighing heavily. "And she thinks he only let her do it because she's a meta, too. At this point I'm just trying not to push him further away."

"Well, maybe Barry has been so successful at pushing you, me, and everyone else away because we keep letting him," Iris said. "Let's not let him."

"What do you suggest?" Joe asked.

"Well, 'if you keep getting 'no' for an answer, stop asking questions'," Iris quoted.

"I say that! You quoting me to me?" Joe asked, smiling.

"What can I say? You are a very smart man," Iris said. Joe laughed and wrapped Iris in a hug, leading her away from the window.

"CT and X-ray machines all operate on nuclear power, don't they?" Tala asked, looking at Cisco as they took the coffee from Cody. "And the dead guy at the morgue, he worked at a nuclear plant, right? I wonder if it was his fault."

Cisco shrugged and accepted the coffee before they left, heading toward the one person they knew could help them; Caitlin Snow.

"So, this is what it looks like inside Mercury Labs," Cisco said, startling Caitlin into looking up from her work. "Security here is way better than it was at Star Labs, what, with people walking in and out of the Cortex all the time."

"Hi, Cisco. Tala," Caitlin said, standing. She walked over and hugged them both.

"Sweet Sarek, is that a 6K proton splicer?" Cisco asked, walking toward it like a kid on Christmas.

"Yes, it is. Doctor McGee insists on having all the latest technology," Caitlin said, smiling at him.

"Is that what you want for Christmas? Would we even need that at Star Labs?" Tala mused, glancing at Caitlin who shrugged.

"You deserve it," Cisco said, turning back to Caitlin. "I spotted you at the rally today, and I'm guessing you saw what happened."

"Cisco, I can't come back," Caitlin said. Tala gently pulled the physician into a hug, letting Caitlin lean on her for a brief moment.

"Okay, check this out, we found this on a victim at the nuclear power plant. But the badge shows absolutely nothing at all, which is so weird," Cisco said, passing the evidence badge to Caitlin. "And what's also weird is that at the same time that Metahuman grew, all the X-ray machines within a mile radius just went belly up."

"Cisco," Caitlin protested.

"Just, please. Could you just see if the badge was tampered with or something?" Tala asked, looking at her. "Barry won't let me bring evidence to Star Labs, intent on working alone, and that's my only lab in Central City. It would really help, and prevent me from having to ask Tina for help."

Caitlin took the evidence badge and walked over to the proper equipment. Tala and Cisco gave each other a silent high five before leaving.

Barry was looking at the newspaper, the headline screaming **Flash Falters** , followed by a picture of him just after he was hit by the metahuman. He looked up as someone entered his lab.

"Mister Allen. Barry Allen?" The man called. Barry stood up from his chair. "I'm Greg Turk. I'm an attorney at Weathersby and Stone. I don't usually make house calls, but I've been trying to get in touch with you for several months."

"Yes. Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I've just, um... I've been really busy with police work," Barry said.

"We need to talk about STAR Labs," Greg said. "As you know, Harrison Wells left the property to you as part of his living trust."

"Yeah, which I did not ask him to do, but I've been keeping the place up," Barry said, sinking back down into his office chair.

"Well, it's going to take more than cleaning the floors to retain it, I'm afraid. While the facility belongs to Merlyn Industries, the real estate is scheduled to go into receivership at the end of this week unless..." Greg reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple silver thumb drive and held it out to Barry. "You watch this."

"What is this?" Barry asked, hesitantly taking the drive.

"A video message drafted by Doctor Wells."

"What's on it? Have you seen it?" Barry asked. He frowned at the drive in his hand, as if he could frown at the man who had sent it to him.

"No, he was very specific. It was only to be watched by you," Greg explained. "The device will send me a notification after you've viewed it. And at that point, I'll have everything ready to execute."

"I'm not going to watch that," Barry said, a bit petulantly.

"Well, that's up to you, Mister Allen," Greg said. "I'm only here to represent Harrison Wells' final request. Good day."

Barry stood as Greg left, before he looked back down at the drive. He dropped it back on his desk and sat back down. His computer started beeping, claiming there was an unauthorized entry at Star Labs. Barry dismissed the alert and ran to the labs.

Tala stepped out of the car as Cody opened the door for her, taking one of the boxes from her. Cisco was already holding his. Tala passed a box to Joe, Martin, and Iris as they approached.

"What's this?" Martin asked, looking at it. Tala chuckled.

"I like cooking," Tala said, pulling a small sandwich bag of forks and knives out of her pocket. "Besides, I'm trying very hard to give up Big Belly Burger."

"It's not working though. You had it for lunch yesterday," Cody said, opening the front door for the group.

"And for dinner last night," Cisco added.

"And the day before that, you and I went to Big Belly Burger for lunch while we were shopping," Iris added. "But what's in the boxes?"

"Pancakes, bacon, hash browns and eggs," Tala said, a soft, sad smile on her face. "My mom's old recipe. Dad used to tell me about how she would kick the cooks out of the kitchen every Thursday in order to try a new recipe."

They walked into the Cortex, where Tala set the boxes down on a spare desk and dropped into her usual chair. She had just opened her box of pancakes when Barry raced in.

"What are you guys doing here?" Barry asked, staring at them all.

"Working," Iris said. Tala just threw him a fork and pointed to the boxes.

"So, Caitlin was right," Cisco said to Martin.

"Yes, all humans contain small amounts of radiation due to contact with cell phones, microwaves, televisions, et cetera," Martin explained, gesturing with his fork in excitement. "Our bodies are natural conductors."

"I think our Meta's been sucking up all the radiation around him," Tala said, looking up at Cisco and Martin. "And using it to power himself. That's how he grew."

"And is why the X-ray machines at the hospital failed during the rally," Iris said.

"So if we wanna find him, we gotta look for places without radiation," Cisco said. He hip checked Tala and her chair out of the way and started typing on the computer, accessing the Merlyn Industries and Star Labs satellites.

"Alright, guys, I don't want any of you here right now," Barry said, looking around the room.

"Tough," Joe said. "You need your partners. You need your friends."

"And it's my building, for now," Tala said.

"Barry, everyone in this room cares about you," Iris added. "But we also care about this city. We all wanna make a difference, and that means fighting Metahumans, and that means working with the Flash. You can't deny us that. Not anymore."

"Got him. There's a three-block dead zone near a hazardous waste reclamation plant," Cisco said. Tala dropped her half eaten breakfast on the desk and pulled for her armor as she stood up. "It should be blooming with rads, and right now it's at zero."

"That's where you'll find your Atom Smasher," Martin said. Tala and Iris exchanged impressed looks. "Because he absorbs atomic power and he, well, smashes."

Cisco hugged Martin, and Tala giggled under her hood before turning to Barry.

"That's a great name. Welcome to the team," Cisco said formally, making Tala bite her lip to stop laughing.

"Great. Guys, thank you," Barry said. "You can go now, alright?"

"Barry, you need to let Cisco and Stein figure out a way to stop this guy," Joe said.

"No I don't," Barry said. He sped into his suit and left, leaving Tala behind.

"Rude!" Tala said, pushing her armor away. Cisco sighed and looked back down at the monitor.

"Barry left his comm system behind. We can't talk to him. He's on his own," Cisco said.

"Why did you make those things removable?" Tala asked, grabbing her pasta again. "I swear, everyone needs to get theirs permanently implanted like I did."

"You didn't have a choice in the matter," Cisco said, rolling his eyes. "And I thought you couldn't eat bacon?"

Tala looked down at her box, before showing him.

"I didn't put any in my box. I can make it, but I can't eat pork," Tala huffed, spinning her fork to create another bite. "Still good though."

"Why can't you eat pork?" Iris asked, confused. "Allergies?"

"Muslim, it's against my faith. Dunno why, just is," Tala shrugged, turning back to Cisco. "How are the security cameras coming?"

"Booya! Got it," Cisco said, throwing the feed up on the monitors. They watched as Atom Smasher grabbed Barry and started choking him.

"Dad, Tala!" Iris said nervously.

"Maybe we can make it there?" Tala said, thinking about the fastest route on her bike.

"No, you won't," Cisco said. "And what are you gonna do when you get there? The boot didn't work on him."

"Punch him really hard in the face, that usually works," Tala grumbled, tapping her finger against the desk in a rare show of nerves.

"Alarm," Martin said suddenly.

"Believe me, we're all alarmed," Cisco replied.

"No, the alarm system, Martin you're brilliant," Tala said, sitting up. "We're already tapped into the surveillance cameras, just turn up the sound!"

Tala watched as Cisco started typing another layer of code, setting off the alarm system. She sighed in relief as Barry sped away.

"Professor Stein, you are a genius," Cisco said.

"I believe that's already been well established," Martin said, making Tala chuckle. Iris held her hand out for a high five. Tala stood suddenly when she felt Barry's energy run into the building before stuttering out in the halls.

"Shit, Barry's passed out," Tala said, running to find him. She slid to her knees next to him, checking for a pulse. Tala carefully scooped him up, standing as Joe and Iris came around the corner. "He's alright, just unconscious. Iris, go get the medbay set up, I'll bring him there."

Iris nodded and turned around, running back to the cortex.

"What has gotten into him?" Joe asked, looking down at his foster son.

"He's running from his feelings. Losing Eddie the way we did, watching his mother die again, and not saving Ronnie?" Tala sighed, looking at the detective sadly. "It's been a hard six months."

Tala laid the speedster on the hospital bed, and started attaching sensors to him, as Joe pulled the gloves from his suit off of him. Tala nodded and left, heading for Cisco's workspace.

Joe sat next to Barry in the Medbay, idly rearranging Barry's Flash gloves. Barry turned gently in his sleep before jolting awake.

"You're good. I got you," Joe said. Barry sighed and turned away, looking around before turning back to his foster father.

"Where is everyone?" Barry asked.

"I figured you wouldn't want an audience when you came to," Joe explained.

"Yeah, thanks," Barry said, leaning back in his pillows.

"Iris is right," Joe said. "You're not gonna do this anymore. For the last six months, I've given you your space to work all this out, come back to us. But today proved that you'd rather just get yourself killed."

"It's better than getting my friends killed," Barry scoffed.

"You want me to tell you that it wasn't your fault? I can't. It was. Guess what?" Joe asked. "You weren't the only person making decisions that day. All of the rest of us were there too. Tala's said that she was a moment away from ordering Firestorm to do what they already did. Eddie, Ronnie, Tala, they chose to help you stop Wells, and stop that... Singularity thing. It's on all of us, Barry. So stop with this hogging all the blame and regret. We gotta live with it. Move on."

"What do I do now?" Barry asked, ignoring the tear that started rolling down his cheek.

"Well, I know that you've been rebuilding Central City at night. It's just bricks and paint," Joe said. "Maybe you should start trying to rebuild... Things that really matter."

Caitlin was working late, using some of the technology she had access to at Mercury Labs to go over the radiation tag Tala and Cisco had brought over again. She turned to write something down, but saw Barry out of the corner of her eye.

"What are you doing here?" she asked the speedster that was lurking in the shadows.

"Sorry, I should've called or something," Barry apologized instead of answering her question. "I just... I wanted to see you."

"It's been a while," Caitlin said.

"Yeah, Cisco said that he saw you at the Flash Day celebration. I was surprised," Barry said. "You, better than anyone, know I wasn't the hero that day."

"Of course you were," Caitlin said, as if it had never occurred to her that anyone else could've been the hero.

"No. Cait, Ronnie died saving me," Barry sighed. "And I should've saved him, and I'm... I'm so sorry."

"Barry, I know that you did everything you could. It wasn't your fault," Caitlin said, her voice wavering slightly. "I don't blame you for Ronnie's death. I blame myself."

"Why?" Barry couldn't believe, or understand why Caitlin blamed herself.

"When Ronnie first became Firestorm, he asked me to leave Central City, and go somewhere that we could have a normal life," Caitlin paused, thinking back to that day. "And I said no. I couldn't leave Star Labs, Doctor Wells... you. If I had gone with him, Ronnie would still be alive. Being at Star Labs just made me think of that every single day."

Barry reached into his pocket and pulled out a square of cloth.

"Here," Barry offered it to Caitlin.

"Oh, you carry a handkerchief now?" Caitlin joked, giving her friend a watery smile. "What are you, eighty?"

Barry handed the handkerchief to Caitlin, who took it, dropping a plastic object to the ground. Barry bent down and picked up the thumb drive that Harrison Wells' lawyer had brought by earlier that day.

"What's that?" Caitlin asked, her curiosity ever burning.

"Ah, it's uh... Apparently in the case of his death, Wells had some kind of a living will," Barry explained.

"And you haven't watched it yet?" Caitlin asked.

"No. No I've... been too afraid."

"What if we watched it together?" Caitlin offered. Barry nodded and handed it over to Caitlin, who led him over to a computer. They watched as Harrison - Eobard - sat down in front of the camera.

"Hello, Barry. If you're watching this, that means something has gone horribly wrong," Harrison sighed. "I'm dead and the last fifteen years have been for nothing. Bummer. Fifteen years. You know, when I realize that in all those years helping raise you, we were never truly enemies, Barry. I'm not the thing that you hate. And so, I want to give you the thing that you want most. It won't matter. You'll never be truly happy, Barry Allen, trust me. I know you. Now... Erase everything I said up to this point. Give the following message to the police. My name is Harrison Wells. Being of sound mind and body, I freely confess to the murder of Nora Allen. In her home, on the night of March eighteenth, in the year two thousand. I attacked Nora in her dining room, I stabbed her in the chest with a large butcher knife from the drawer to the left of the sink..."

"Oh my God," Caitlin said. "He confessed."

"This is it. This is what I need to free my dad." Barry stood and dialed a number from memory. "Hey, Joe. Yeah, hey. Can you have everybody meet me at Star Labs? Yeah, alright. Thanks. Yeah, alright. Bye."

"I'll drive," Caitlin said, smiling.

"Merlyn," Tala said, taking the call through comms as she stepped out of the shower. Cisco wrapped his arm around her, grabbing his towel before pulling away, smiling at her.

"It's Joe, can you and Cisco meet us at Star Labs? Barry called," Joe said. Tala looked at Cisco in surprise.

"Yeah sure, we'll be there in a few minutes," Tala ended the call. "Barry called the team together. Let's go."

"And here I was having fun," Cisco said, walking into the bedroom. Tala chuckled and followed, pulling on one of his shirts with a pair of jeans. They left, grabbing their helmets and taking Tala's bike to the Labs. They got there at the same time as Caitlin's car did, containing Barry and Cait.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Cait," Tala said, hugging the redhead. "Glad, but definitely surprised. What's the commotion about?"

"The video from Wells, he confessed," Barry said, pulling Tala into a tight hug. She hugged him back eagerly.

"We need to send it to Cecile," Tala said, reaching for her tablet as they entered the Cortex. "She can tell us if it's enough to get Henry out of prison."

Tala uploaded the video to the tablet and sent it to Cecile, Central City's DA, while Joe and Barry talked in the hallway. Iris paced nervously while they waited to hear back. Tala looked up from her emails as she felt Barry's energy walk into the room.

"What did Cecile say?" Tala asked instantly, setting aside her tablet. "Is it good news?"

"I think so," Barry said smiling.

"Henry's coming home?" Iris asked, pulling Barry into a hug. Tala smiled, taking Cisco's hand.

"We'll cover all the lawyer fees and everything else he needs," Cisco said, squeezing Tala's hand. "Kevin can't complain about this, it's less than a Tesla magnet."

"Okay. Well that still leaves Atom Smasher to deal with," Barry said, nodding to Martin.

"Well, the last time you faced him did not go well," Martin said, while Tala made a noise of agreement.

"No, it did not," Barry agreed. "I clearly can't stop him by myself. So how are we gonna beat him?"

"Well," Caitlin said sheepishly. "Ever since I was shown a drained radiation tag, which I haven't been able to stop thinking about, thank you, Cisco."

"You're welcome, Caitlin," Cisco chimed, grinning.

"If this guy likes radiation so much, I say we give it to him," Caitlin said.

"Overload his body with more than he can handle, like a heroin overdose," Tala figured. "Cait, you're amazing. But how would we get him to show?"

"I think I have an idea," Cisco said, running off, leaving a bewildered team behind. Iris and Caitlin turned to Tala who shrugged, just as confused as them.

"I'm just glad it's not an evil speedster this time. I can't keep up with these running missions," Tala said, leaning back in her seat. "Cardio is so not my jam."

"Barry, can I get you in here?" Cisco's voice came over comms. "I figured out how we're going to get Atom Smasher there, but I need to you run it over there."

Barry grabbed his suit and raced off to Cisco's workspace. Cisco walked back in, looking exceptionally proud of himself.

"So how does this thing work, Cisco?" Barry asked through comms.

"Just tilt it to the sky, and turn it on. It's cloudy so it'll work," Cisco explained, sitting down next to Tala.

The team waited, Cisco and Tala pulling open satellite feed and security cameras from the area Barry was in, as well as the nuclear plant they were sending the Metas to. Tala sat upright when she saw Atom Smasher walk toward Barry.

"What's up? I see you got my message," Barry said glibly. Tala rolled her eyes.

"That light was perfect bait," Caitlin said. "What made you think of that?"

"I dunno, I think I saw it in a comic book somewhere," Cisco said, shrugging. Cody sat a cup of coffee in front of each of them, and the assassin smiled at him.

"You want me, you're gonna have to catch me," Barry said to Atom Smasher. The speedster took off running, aiming for the nuclear plant. GPS on both Metas showed Rothstein following Barry.

"It's working, Sarie. Rothstein's following you," Tala said into comms, sipping on her coffee.

"I must say, he's quite agile for a man his size," Martin added. Tala grew worried as the GPS trackers showed Rothstein gaining on Barry, just before they got to the nuclear power plant.

"Didn't think I could catch you, huh?" Rothstein asked.

"No, I knew you could. Now, Cisco!" Barry shouted. Cisco shut the blast doors, just as Barry ran out, sealing Rothstein into the reactor core.

"The amount of radiation about to flood that room..." Caitlin said worriedly.

"Atom Smasher won't be able to absorb it all," Martin finished. The team listened silently as Al Rothstein tried to absorb all the radiation. Tala knew he wasn't going to make it, but years of being an assassin had hardened her heart toward causing death. _I had replaced evil with death,_ Ra's had once told her. She wondered if that was what she was doing, or if it was better. Tala only hoped it wasn't worse.

"The radiation's been cleared. It's safe for you to go in," Cisco said, looking at the data on the monitors.

"So, what's a Zoom?" Tala asked as Barry ran back into the cortex, swapping his Flash suit for street clothes.

"I don't know, but whoever, or whatever it is, they want me dead," Barry said.

"We can worry about it tomorrow, though I am worried about that name," Tala said, running her fingers through her hair. "Zoom sounds like the name of a speedster, and I really don't want to deal with another evil speedster. Go home, Barry. You pick up your dad tomorrow from Iron Heights."

Tala leaned against the back of the couch next to Cisco while they waited on Barry to bring Henry home. Everyone was there, including Martin and Clarissa.

"Welcome home!" Everyone shouted as Barry opened the door, leading Henry in. Joe passed out champagne while Cisco started cutting the cake. Tala pulled Henry into a hug, sliding a credit card into his pocket.

"Anything you need, it's on me," Tala said, smiling at Barry's father.

"You don't need to do that, Tala," Henry said, trying to hand the card back. "You've been a friend to Barry, and that's more than enough."

"Henry, you've been in prison for fifteen years," Tala explained, folding his hand over the piece of plastic. "Barry, Joe, Iris, they're my family. That makes you my family too, and I take care of my family, especially since my brother died. It's just my dad, my sister and I, and everyone here."

"Alright. I won't use it often, but thank you," Henry said, nodding to Joe, who brought them both a glass of bubbly. Joe led Tala over to Cisco, winking to her as he presented Cisco with a police badge. Tala pulled out her phone and started taking pictures, glad everyone was happy. She started videotaping as Martin tapped on his glass, calling for everyone's attention.

"Gather around, everyone, please," He said, smiling gently. "Looking at all of you, thinking how far we've all come, and remembering those who are no longer with us... I'm reminded of a Hebrew word used during times of graduation. Kadima. It means, forward."

Tala raised her glass, smiling at Martin, and everyone in the room.

"Forward," She said, her eyes shining with happiness and sadness. She smiled as everyone echoed the mantra. She walked over to Cisco and Caitlin, sliding her phone back in her pocket.

"This is a wonderful day," Tala said, sliding her arm around Cisco's waist. "Henry is out of prison, Barry finally has what he wants, and there is cake and champagne."

"I thought you weren't supposed to drink?" Martin asked, walking over. "Being Muslim and all."

"I'm not supposed to get tattoos either. Or kill," Tala said, shrugging. "Or have premarital sex. I believe in my faith, and I believe that Allah will forgive me for all that I have done. That's all I really need."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Martin said. Tala tapped her glass to his, happy to be in good company.

"Hey," Caitlin said as Barry and Joe walked into the cortex, wide smiles on their faces.

"Oh, hey, guess what?" Cisco asked Barry. "I added a little upgrade to your suit."

Tala hit the lights key on the monitor and the spotlight above the Flash suit turned on, revealing the white emblem.

"It's just like the one from the future newspaper Gideon showed us," Tala said. "Cisco and I were thinking, you know, we shouldn't fear the future anymore, right?"

"No, and it'll be here faster than we think," Barry said.

"I must say, I like it," Martin said. "The lightning definitely pops more against the white."

"And, Star Labs is now safer than ever," Caitlin chimed. "Increased security and surveillance."

"Re-coded, double fire-walled electronic locksets," Cisco elaborated. "Nothing is getting through here without us knowing."

"So people can't just waltz in and out of here," Iris simplified. Tala nodded smiling gently. Caitlin gasped, staring at the doorway, causing Tala to turn in alarm.

Tala hissed, vaulting the desk, pulling her armor and drawing a knife.

"For real?" Cisco whined behind her. Tala dragged him into the light and shoved him against the wall, pressing the blue blade to his throat.

"Who are you?" Barry demanded as Joe drew his gun.

"You don't know me, but I know you, Barry Allen, Tala Merlyn," The intruder said. Tala pressed her knife a little deeper, drawing a thin red line of blood along the blade. Tala's eyes glowed blue, and a wind started whipping at her hair.

"The man asked you a question, who the hell are you?" Tala's voice started overlapping, showing her emotions getting the better of her.

"My name is Jay Garrick. And your world is in danger."


	28. 202 Flash of Two Worlds

Tala blinked rapidly, taking a step back from Jay Garrick, but not releasing her grip on her knife. She grabbed Cisco and pulled him behind her, trying to shield him.

"Speedster," Tala hissed, glaring at Jay, since no one reacted, she didn't think anyone heard her.

"Please, just let me explain," Jay said, holding his hands up in a placating manner. Tala growled, pulling at her powers until a barrier formed around the non-combatants on the team.

"How do you know my name?" Barry demanded. Tala took an offensive position, ready to jump at the man the moment he twitched.

"I know all of your names," Garrick said. "Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon. Detective Joe West."

"Enough!" Joe said, adjusting his grip on his gun threateningly. "That part about explaining needs to happen right about now."

"This world is in danger," Garrick repeated.

"What other worlds are there?" Cisco asked. Tala mentally agreed, wondering what the hell he was talking about.

"When you created the Singularity above Central City, you also created a breach between my world and yours," Garrick said.

"I'm sorry, a breach?" Iris asked.

"Yes, a portal, connecting our two Earths," Garrick explained.

"And what precisely is your concern?" Martin asked.

"A few days ago, you found a dead man named Al Rothstein at the nuclear plant. But then a different Al Rothstein tried to kill you," Garrick said. Tala lowered her knife, seeing the sense in what he was saying.

"Atom Smasher," Cisco said, starting to see the sense behind the insanity that Jay was proposing.

"That man was from my world. If he got through the breach, I suspect there'll be more to follow," Jay hypothesized.

"Okay. So, Jay, how exactly do you know all this?" Barry asked, his tone softer and less demanding.

"Where I came from, I was a speedster, like you," Jay said, and Tala felt Barry and Cisco's energy spike with anxiety. "And they called me, the Flash. Before I arrived on your earth, I was in a fight with a man named Zoom."

"Barry, that's the man who sent Atom Smasher here," Tala said, looking at her speedster.

"Atom Smasher said Zoom sent him here to kill me," Barry said. Tala turned briefly to glance at Cisco, feeling his energy change. "Who is this guy?"

"He's a speedster, like you and me. And fast, maybe the fastest of all, but evil," Garrick said. Tala groaned.

"I had to say that, didn't I? I jinxed it," Tala huffed, replacing her knife in her wrist holster, but leaving her armor on. "I hate speedsters."

"He is an unstoppable demon with the face of death," Jay said, talking like he didn't hear Tala. "We were engaged in our fiercest battle ever, racing throughout my city, but I wasn't fast enough to stop him. Zoom had me beaten. He was about to kill me, when suddenly there was a blinding light, and the sky split open. A breach, between my world and yours caused from the Singularity. It pulled me in, and I somehow ended up in your world. Powerless, unable to return home."

"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked. Tala walked over, holding her hand out toward Jay, feeling his energy. It did feel like Barry's and Eobard's, but it was jagged, and rough around the edges, like something was eating away at the outer line of a circle.

"I lost my speed," Jay said. Tala nodded, confirming his story somewhat.

"How?" Barry asked. Tala shrugged, and so did Jay.

"Not entirely sure," he responded. Joe and Tala exchanged looks, Tala nodding, before Joe turned to Barry who simply shrugged.

"So, you've been in Central City for six months. Why haven't you come to see us before?" Joe asked.

"I'm in a foreign world here, Detective, I didn't know who you all were," Jay explained away, "Took me that long to piece it all together."

"So that's how you know our names," Iris said. "You've been following us."

"Look, I know how this sounds." Jay walked forward and leaned against the chairs in front of the desk. Tala stood behind him, watching his movements and energy. "The existence of another Earth, you, another Flash? It all came as an unexpected shock to me, too. I just wish there was something I could do to convince you."

"There is," Barry said. "We're going to do some tests on you. See if you're telling us the truth, and not a speedster that's been here the whole time. Because if you're lying?"

"This Zoom you've mentioned, will be a daydream compared to what I will do to you," Tala said pleasantly with a smile on her face. She grabbed Jay and directed him toward the medbay, nodding to Caitlin to follow her. The assassin pushed the newcomer into a sitting position on the bed before jerking his shirt over his head. Tala stepped aside, standing by the doorway, glaring at Jay.

"So, Mister Garrick, how long have you been the Flash on your world?" Caitlin asked as she attached a few sensors to Jay's chest.

"Not long enough to call me Mister," He admonished slightly. Tala rolled her eyes, hoping he wasn't trying to flirt with Cait in front of her. "Please, it's Jay."

"Jay, of course," Cait corrected herself.

"On my world, I've been the Flash for about two years," Jay said. Tala tapped a button on her choker, recording the conversation.

"And how did you get your speed?" Cait asked, comparing Jay's story to Barry's.

"I'm not really sure. I was at my lab, trying to purify heavy water without any residual radiation when there was a blinding light," Jay said. Tala idly noted that he was a scientist. "Uh, I fell into a coma, when I woke up I could run almost as fast as the speed of light."

"Sorry, did you say, Lab? Are you a scientist?" Caitlin asked. Tala rolled her eyes, hoping this guy didn't hurt Caitlin. The assassin silently promised him a slow death if he did.

"Well, certainly didn't work at a place like this, but yeah," Jay said. "I had a respectable solo operation. Part time chemist. Part time physicist. Part time Superhero. I can forget that superhero part now though, huh?"

Tala walked back into the cortex, just in time to catch the beginning of Iris' rant.

"Is any of this possible? A breach to another Earth? It's not, right?" She asked, looking between Tala and Martin. Tala just shrugged, not having a clue.

"I dunno. I'm an engineer, not a physicist. I don't know everything, just most things," Tala said, turning to Martin.

"Just recently the many-different-worlds theory proposed interaction with parallel universes was plausible," Martin explained. "Now, if what Mister Garrick's saying is true, that theory's been proven true sooner than we all thought."

"It doesn't add up," Barry said. Tala walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, agreeing with him slightly.

"I'm gonna be honest here," Joe said. "I don't understand what the hell any of you are talking about."

"So, Jay saying he's from, like, a mirror world. Or a parallel universe, that's very, very similar to ours," Cisco tried to explain.

"Multi-verse would be a more apt description," Martin interjected.

"Nope, not helping," Joe said. Tala smiled at the detective.

"Bless your heart," Cisco said fondly.

"Let me see if I can simplify it, from what I understand, Martin, correct me if I'm wrong," Tala said, grabbing a board and a marker. She drew a circle.

"This is our universe, let's call it Earth One. And Jay's Earth, let's call it Earth Two," Tala said, drawing a second circle, followed by a few more. "And other Earths, three, four five, infinite earths with infinite different differences. There might be an Earth where Cisco and I are supervillains, or one where Caitlin is a Metahuman. They are all very similar to our world, and they all exist at the same time, they just vibrate at different frequencies so we can't see them."

"For example, the Joe West on earth two, your doppelganger," Martin took over, nodding to Tala. "He might not be a detective, he might be a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. And you, the Barry Allen here is the Flash, but on Earth two, he could be an electrician."

"So, I'm assuming that the people on all these other Earths work to make money to pay bills and such?" Joe asked.

"I would imagine," Martin said.

"So we got that in common!" Joe cheered. "I'm heading back to the station. Call me when this makes a little bit more sense. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole idea of time travel."

Tala and Cisco waved to Joe as he left, confused themselves, but coping a little bit better.

"There is one problem that remains," Martin said.

"Just the one?" Tala asked, looking at him skeptically.

"If Mister Garrick is telling the truth, there is a breach somewhere in Central City that we need to find. And close for good," Martin said. Tala sighed and pulled open the satellite feed.

"How do we even find it?" Cisco asked. "We don't even know what to look for."

"Well, I suggest we put our heads together and come up with a solution," Martin said. Tala looked at him, rolling her eyes at the obvious statement. "Not literally of course, those days are over."

Tala gave Martin a sympathetic smile, missing Ronnie too. Martin turned to leave the room, and Cisco and Tala following behind him. Tala was hoping for the best. Another speedster was bad news, but the idea of two Flashes, well, the more heroes they had on their side the better, right?

"So, let's say he's right, what would this evil speedster want with Sarie?" Tala asked, catching Cisco's hand as they walked.

"Nothing good," Cisco responded.

*x*

Caitlin came out of her lab, leaving Jay there as she approached Iris and Barry.

"What'd you find?" Iris asked.

"Well, Jay's heart rate is extraordinarily low. And he does have regenerative capabilities," Caitlin said. She liked him, so far, and she wanted him to be the man he claimed to be. "Other than that, I'm not seeing any evidence of the Speed Force in his system."

Caitlin wanted to hope for the best, but after the last year, she would settle for a gentle optimism, only backed by scientific proof.

"We don't even have proof that he's a speedster, much less from another earth?" Barry asked. The idea of another speedster turned his stomach, and even he found it difficult to stay optimistic and hopeful. Barry refused to have another Reverse-Flash running around, so speedless or not, Barry wouldn't believe Jay until he absolutely had to.

"Not necessarily," Caitlin said, twisting her hands.

"What does that mean?" Barry asked.

"Well, Jay doesn't know this, but while I was testing his heart rate, blood pressure, and motor responses, I also measured his autonomic reactions while we were talking," Caitlin explained.

"You gave him a lie detector test?" Iris asked. The reporter was impressed, and proud of Caitlin.

"And he passed it," Caitlin said, shrugging slightly. It meant that Jay was either a pathological liar so good he could control responses not many - if any - could control, or that he was telling the truth. Caitlin was hoping for the latter.

Barry looked at Jay's back, biting his lower lip. He didn't want to trust Jay, the pain of Harrison Wells being Eobard Thawne was still too fresh in his mind.

"What if he's not a good guy, and he just wants to find our weaknesses?" A small part of Barry knew he was being irrational, but he didn't listen to that part. "Keep running tests. See what else you can find out."

*x*

Joe walked through the bullpen at CCPD to get to his desk. He was still dealing with paperwork from the Singularity, and the fallout of Flash Day, and now he had breaches, more speedsters, and another earth to deal with. He sighed when his phone started vibrating, alerting him to a phone call. Joe hoped it wasn't Barry or Iris telling him something else had gone wrong.

Joe pulled out his phone and looked at the name that came up. It stopped him cold. He ignored the call and kept walking, physically shaking himself out of it.

"Detective West, sir," a woman called out to him. Joe turned to see a young blonde officer standing behind him.

"Yes, Officer...?" Joe didn't know her name. He also didn't want to be dealing with this right now, no matter what it was.

"Spigot. Patty Spivot." She extended her hand and Joe shook it, reacting to habits more than anything else. "Captain Singh mentioned there may be positions available on your anti-metahuman task force."

"Yeah, everybody quit. There is no task force anymore," Joe said, turning back to the work on his desk. He didn't want to deal with Officer Spivot. The task force was more of an idea so he could explain away being ten steps behind the Flash at all times. Of course, it wasn't entirely true that everyone had quit. Technically Cisco and Tala - as Haven - were on the task force.

"Well, I know someone who's interested in being on it," Patty said. Joe looked up in surprise. "Me."

"You do realize that metahumans have super powers, right?" Joe asked, wondering why anyone would willingly go up against super powered people. He briefly wondered why he often went up against super powered people. "And even if they didn't, you wouldn't be a good fit for the team."

"Because I'm a woman?" Patty asked. Joe refused to roll his eyes. Tala was a woman and regularly handed the team their ass in many different categories.

"I didn't mean to imply that," Joe stated. And he hadn't. He was no stranger to bias based on appearances. He was a black man after all.

"Good, because I know how difficult this job would be, but I think I'm an excellent candidate," Patty said, following Joe across the bullpen. "I triple-majored at Hudson in biology, chemistry, and physics. I'm in prime physical condition. And I rated top of my class in marksmanship."

"Your class?" Joe laughed, "You don't even have your stripes yet."

"Soon. Been on the job seven months, sir," Patty said confidentially. Joe handed the signed file to the desk sergeant and started walking away.

"Are you aware of what happened to my previous partner?" Joe asked tersely. It was still a difficult thing to talk about. Iris had loved him, Barry liked him, and he was Eddie's partner. All three of them felt his death, and Barry felt responsible for it, it was a harsh reminder that super powers weren't always fun and games.

"Detective Thawne, yes," Patty said, still following Joe. "I know that he died, and the one before him, Fred Chyre, died, too, but the one before that's not dead, just transferred. I'm sure it had nothing to do with you."

"Listen, Officer..."

"Spivot. Patty Spivot."

"Yes, Spivot. The answer's no," Joe said.

"All I'm asking for is a shot, sir," Patty said, "Please, just an interview."

"You just had the interview," Joe told her. "Didn't get the job."

Joe walked away, officially done with the day. He thought the Officer was a good kid, but he didn't want her fighting metas, he didn't want to fight metas. It was just bad luck that both of his kids fought metas, and dragged him along.

*x*

Tala led Jay to a cell in the pipeline, watching him as Barry closed the cell. She pushed her powers and armor away once she heard the seal lock.

"I hope you understand why we have to do this," Barry said, walking up to stand next to Tala.

"I get it, kid," Jay said amicably. "You're doing what you think you have to. But you'll all realize soon enough that this, the tests, it's unnecessary. I want to help you, Barry. Not harm you."

"I'm the judge of that," Tala growled. "I don't trust you, yet. You aren't the first person who's said that to us."

"If what you told me about Zoom is true, that he sent Rothstein here to kill you, instead of locking me up in here, you better start listening," Jay said. "Because if Zoom is involved, you are going to need a lot more than just me at your side to stay alive."

"Barry, there's a fire at the waterfront. Fire department's en route," Cisco's voice came through the PA system.

"We're on it," Tala said, pulling her armor back on. "Just like before, Sarie?"

"Be careful," Jay said. Tala glared at him, unsure of what to think about him. Barry grabbed Tala and raced them to the cortex where he changed into his suit, carrying Tala to the waterfront.

Barry dropped Tala off next to a fire truck, running into the building.

"That was the Flash!" A firefighter said in surprise. Tala pulled her powers around her, grinning as they filled her senses with awareness. "And you're Haven!"

"Yes I am, where's the chief?" The stunned firefighter pointed, and Tala ran over. "Chief, where are the structural weak points of the building? I'll steady the place so your men can get in and out safely."

Tala and the Chief turned as the fire put itself out. Tala tilted her head, rolling her eyes at Barry's enthusiasm.

"Never mind, I'll go find my partner, make sure everything is safe," Tala said, jogging into the building. She found Barry quickly, following the feel of his energy.

"That was a big fire," Barry panted, looking at Tala.

"It's out, Cisco," Tala said into her comms.

"Copy that, see you in a bit," Cisco replied. Tala turned as she felt a new energy, just as something hit her and Barry, knocking them backwards. Tala looked around, watching sand flow around them. It flowed into a man, standing in front of them, a few feet away.

"I thought it'd be harder than this," The man said. He moved to throw a punch, even from the distance and Tala pulled out her bow, notching an arrow as Barry raced forward, charging toward him. Tala watched as Barry ran through a man shaped pile of sand.

"Barry? Tala? Are you there?" Cisco's voice came through comms. "What was that?"

"I dunno, but we need to find out," Tala said as Barry grabbed her and ran them both back to Star Labs. From there, Cisco and Tala went home and Tala jumped straight in the shower.

"I feel like I have sand in my hair," Tala complained, taking a palmful of the shampoo and scrubbing it against her scalp. Cisco slid in behind her and took over, pushing her hands out of the way. Tala smiled happily and leaned against him. It had been a long and weird day, but relaxing with Cisco was a good way to end it.

*x*

Barry took a picture of the motorboat in front of him. It was covered in ash from the fire last night.

"Bear," Joe called, walking across the room. Barry turned and waved. "What are we dealing with here?"

"Well, definitely a metahuman," Barry snorted. "Got a pretty solid look at him between punches. And he was, like, made of sand."

"Sand?" Joe asked, staring at Barry. Was one normal, not metahuman case too much to ask for? Joe resisted the urge to look skyward for answers.

"Mmhmm. These walls are too porous to pull any prints," Barry said, shrugging in disappointment. I can't even get one off the boat, but check this out. There's gasoline burns everywhere. Water didn't go off; sprinklers weren't working. This was arson."

"Excuse me, Barry Allen?" Officer Spivot asked as she approached.

"Yeah?" Barry asked, turning to face the newcomer.

"Hi."

"Two days in a row, Officer. What a coincidence," Joe said, nodding in greeting.

"Or kismet, if you believe in destiny or fate," Patty turned to Barry, her arm outstretched. "I'm Patty, Patty Spivot. I'm really excited to meet you. I'm a huge fan."

"Excuse me?"

"Your forensic reports. I read them sometimes. Who am I kidding? All the time," Patty gushed, her cheeks glowing pink as Barry exchanged a look with Joe. "I've actually read them all."

"Wow, I don't think that I've read them all," Barry joked.

"They're always so detailed. You know, they really paint a picture like you were somehow actually there when someone was being brutally murdered," Patty said. Joe hid a smile, thinking that Patty rambled on like Barry did when he was excited by something.

"Thank you," Barry said.

"Uh, anyhow, I uh, I found something. Well, I think I found something. It's just a theory, but I would like to show you," Patty explained. She turned and led the way to a different room in the warehouse. "So this right here is the point of origin of the fire. And look. I don't know a sandblasted on the market that can make a cut that precise, so I think a metahuman may have done this. Here, took a sample for you. Uh, there's also some fingerprints on the back of the pipe."

Barry glanced at Joe before taking the vial from Patty. He smiled at Patty, impressed with her work.

"You should have gone into CSI work," Barry beamed.

"I love the science, but out here's where all the action is," Patty said, grinning. "Isn't that right Detective West?"

"Mh. The answer's still no Officer S..."

"Spivot."

"Spivot," Joe answered. He walked past the two and left the room.

"What was that about?" Barry asked, curious.

"I'm trying to join the anti-metahuman task force," Patty answered. "But you heard him. Hey, he's kinda like your dad, right? So, do you have any advice on how I can crack his no-code?"

"Yeah, I've been trying to pick that lock since I was eleven. So, if you figure it out, how about you let me know?" Barry asked, laughing slightly.

*x*

Tala watched over Cait's shoulder as Jay ran on the treadmill. The man was in good shape, and had good form. Speedster or not, he would've been good in sports.

"His blood pressure is low, his heart rate is low," Caitlin said. "His oxygen levels are impressive."

"Yeah, but nothing compared to Barry's," Iris said, walking over to look at the monitors.

"No, but he's certainly in the physical specimen range," Caitlin said, looking at Jay as he ran.

"In more ways than one," Tala teased, winking at Iris, who smiled. Caitlin frowned, shaking her head.

"Oh, I wasn't paying attention," Caitlin leaned over and pressed the intercom button. "That's enough for today, Jay, thank you."

Tala shook her head and walked into the cortex, feeling Barry's energy. He tossed something to Tala, who caught it, looking at it in confusion. It was a vial of sand.

"Sand? Thanks, you shouldn't have," Tala said, passing it to Cisco, who looked at it under a magnifying glass.

"I found it at the crime scene, so I think it's gotta be from the Metahuman who attacked us," Barry explained.

"It looks like sand," Cisco said, pushing the magnifier out of the way, and turning around, leaning back in his chair.

"It's not sand. It's human cells whose myosin two-protein have migrated to the cells' periphery," Jay said from the doorway.

"Jay is a fellow science nerd," Caitlin explained at Cisco's bewildered look.

"Those cells have the ability to rearrange and harden, giving them the appearance of sand," Jay continued, walking over to the group.

"And how do you know this?" Barry asked.

"They belong to a Metahuman I've fought before named Sand Demon," Jay explained.

"I know you're new here, so I'm gonna break it down for you," Cisco said, standing up from his chair. "The whole, naming the bad guys thing, that's my jam. But you know what, I'm gonna let you have that one 'cause I actually kind of like it. I'm not mad at that one. Is that Barry's sweatshirt?"

Tala looked, wondering if it was in fact Barry's sweatshirt. She didn't think that Barry's shirts would fit on Jay, who had more muscle mass than the wiry speedster.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Iris said. "It was all we could find."

"I have a whole set of Star Labs shirts and the like in my gym, I think I have one that would fit him there," Tala said, shrugging.

"Cause I have to say, it looks a lot smaller on you, right?" Cisco said. Tala snorted, laughing slightly as Barry gave Cisco an offended look. "I gotta do this thing..."

Tala took Cisco's arm and led him out of the Cortex, laughing at his sudden discomfort. They walked to Cisco's lab, to find Martin there, writing frantically on a chalkboard.

*x*

"So, who is this Sand Demon?" Iris asked, turning to face Jay as Cisco and Tala left the cortex.

"I don't know his name, but I know how to stop him," Jay offered. Caitlin looked excited, but Barry scrunched up his face.

"You know what? I think we'll be fine on our own," Barry said, nodding like he completely agreed with himself.

"Look, Barry, I don't know what else I can do to prove to you I'm on your side," Jay said angrily. "I've been poked, prodded. I even subjected myself to a full body scan."

"I was being thorough!" Caitlin said defensively as Iris gave her a wide-eyed look. Iris wanted to give the physician a high-five, when they were away from the guys anyway.

"Sand Demon's from my world," Jay said. "Let me teach you how to stop him."

"Yeah, I don't need you to teach me anything, Jay," Barry said.

"Zoom sent Rothstein here to kill you. He must have sent Sand Demon here to do the same thing," Jay pointed out. "Don't you get it? Anyone close to the Flash, all of you, are in a lot of danger!"

"Alright. If you're so good, you would've caught him already. Let's get Jay back to his cell," Barry said, stepping forward. He turned and walked off. The new speedster was getting on his nerves, majorly. He had accepted the rest of the team back with minimal complaints, but adding another speedster, one that had failed, even, was too much.

*x*

"Woah. Hey, _Beautiful Mind?_ I think you need to take a breather," Cisco said. Tala nodded her agreement.

"After some lengthy calculations, I believe I have discovered the key to proving the proposed breach theory," Martin said. Tala smiled happily while Cisco set up an analysis for the Sand Demon's cells. "Exotic Matter."

"You mean like, trans-dimensional energy," Cisco translated at Tala's blank look.

"Precisely. Exotic matter, trans-dimensional energy will theoretically leak from one universe into another. Now, if this breach Mister Garrick is talking about is real, if there is indeed a hole in our universe which leads to his Earth..."

"We can make some adjustments and upload an electrophotography program to the Merlyn Satellites and essentially photograph the exotic matter leak," Cisco said, looking excited.

"Thereby giving us the locale of the breach," Martin concluded. Tala smiled.

"Last time I saw the kit, it was in the fabrication room," Tala said, looking at Cisco. Martin nodded and started running toward the fabrication room.

"Oh, ho oh! Getting goosies!" Cisco cheered as Martin left. "Alright, back to the sand that isn't sand. Let's see what you're made of. That's too much on the slide."

Tala watched as Cisco brushed some of the sand off the slide. She looked at him as he took a frightened look on his face, and his energy changed, reminding her of when they were at the Flash rally, and his energy changed.

"Kitten?" Tala asked softly, turning him to face her. He looked at her with wide eyes.

"What's happening to me?" Cisco asked her, clutching his head. Tala pulled him into her arms, rubbing his back gently. "It was like the dreams I had, from Wells."

"What did you see?" Tala asked.

"You and Barry fighting Sand Demon. He said _I thought it would be harder than this_." Cisco sat down on the edge of the desk and rested his head on Tala's shoulder.

"That's what he said last night after he knocked Barry and I over, before he split," Tala explained. "Eobard did say that you could see through the vibrations of the universe. Or, Multiverse as it may turn out to be. Is that what happened at the Rally?"

"Yeah, it was Rothstein talking to someone, but I don't know who, or what they were saying," Cisco said softly. "Please, don't say anything to anyone."

"I won't Kitten. I promise," Tala reassured, carding her fingers through his hair.

*x*

Joe sat in his car and looked at the rap sheet and mugshot of Eddie Slick, a known arsonist. He was sitting around the corner of Slick's address, watching the man walk down the street. Joe picked up his phone and pressed Barry's speed dial.

"Hey," Barry greeted, walking down the halls of Star Labs.

"I found our meta," Joe said without preamble. "His name is Eddie Slick. We tracked those prints to his address."

"Alright, where are you?" Barry asked, tensing to run. "I'll grab Tala and meet you there."

"Too late, he made me," Joe said. He ended the call and fumbled for the car door. Joe got out of the car and started following Slick, not running, just keeping pace. When Slick turned a corner around a van, Joe pulled his gun and picked up the pace, turning around the same van.

Eddie slick was lying on the ground, holding his hands up in surrender, looking up at Patty Spivot, who was holding her gun out.

"So, can I be on your task force?" Patty asked Joe, without looking up from Slick. Joe sighed, and resolved to talk to Tala about putting Patty on the force.

Joe dropped the file containing pictures of the arson on the table in front of Slick in the CCPD interrogation room.

"That look familiar?" Joe asked. Slick shrugged as Joe paced around the table. The detective idly wondered if having Haven stand menacingly in the corner would make questionings go easier. Joe grabbed Slick by the back of the neck and forced him to look at the images. "How 'bout now? What's it look like?"

"A fire," Slick answered, groaning.

"There ya go, genius. It's the fire you started in the third ward last night," Joe said, letting go of Slick.

"Man, I didn't start no fire there last night," Slick said.

"What? Were you out of town?" Joe asked, feeling unsympathetic to the arsonist. "Your cat get sick? Well, let me guess. You don't start fires anymore. You been rehabilitated."

"Yeah, I done it before. So what?" Slick demanded, "I didn't do this one. I always start a fire with something that's hard to trace. You know, like acetone or something."

"Or maybe you don't need to use accelerants anymore," Joe suggested blithely, "Iron Heights can hold people like you now. You know that, right?"

Joe remembered the donations to send Merlyn Industries, specifically Tala and Cisco the biggest fruit baskets they could find in thanks for setting up the metahuman wing. Warden Wolfe even donated three hundred dollars to the fund.

"You think I'm one of those metahuman freaks?" Slick spat, glaring at the detective, "If I had powers, you don't think I would've used them to get away from you?"

"December eleventh, 2013. Where were you?" Joe would never forget that date. It was one of the worst days of his life.

"Why?"

"Answer the damn question," Joe snarled. "Where were you?"

"Blackgate Penitentiary!" Slick shouted. "You don't believe me, check your records."

Joe pulled his phone out and called another officer on the force, "Jimmy, I need you to confirm something for me."

"So, Joe told me what you did," Barry said on the other side of the two-way mirror. "I'm impressed."

"No, all I did was, you know, run the other print from the electrical pipe, then track Slick down from there," Patty pushed away the praise.

"How's it going with Joe?" Barry asked. "You any closer to cracking his no-code?"

"Are you kidding me? He's like the permission Sphinx. Or like a magic eight ball with just one answer. Or like, you know, the Bridgekeeper protecting the Holy Grail."

"What is your quest?" Barry quoted, looking over at Patty.

"Oh, to join your task force," Patty paraphrased, smiling brightly, happy that Barry had gotten the reference.

"No," Barry said blankly. Both cheered, before dissolving into laughter. "Well, maybe I can put in a good word for you."

"That would mean a lot to me, Barry."

Joe waved at Patty through the glass, not being able to see where they were.

"He means me," Barry snickered, turning to meet Joe at the door.

"Okay, so Slick wasn't in Central City the night the particle accelerator exploded," Joe told Barry, leading his son over to a quiet corner by the elevators.

"So he's lying," Barry said, shrugging, like it wasn't even a question.

"He's a dirtbag, and an arsonist, but he's not lying about this," Joe said, "He's not a meta, Barry."

"Slick is the guy who jumped me. Ask Tala, she was there, too," Barry protested.

"Do you think it's possible that the Slick in there has a..."

"Doppelgänger? I don't know," Barry sighed, not liking how this conversation was going.

*x*

"I hate it when they put a color in their name," Cisco whined, looking at the news broadcast from Star City, where Oliver had returned.

"My first Meta-name from you had a color in it," Tala said, scoffing at Cisco. "Cerulean Spellcaster, remember? Then it got shortened, then changed to Haven."

"Green Arrow though? I dunno," Cisco shrugged.

"I'm just glad he's back in Star City, it needs him," Tala commented. "Means I won't have to keep flying back there to beat people up. Also, anyone who can't tell who that is is stupid."

"Yo!" Barry said as he came into the Cortex.

"Yo!" Cisco replied. "The sample you gave us, not sand. Definitely human cells."

"Yeah, I know. It's not him. I get it," Barry said.

"I hate to say it, but I think this Earth Two theory is starting to make sense," Tala said. "I wonder what my doppelganger is like. Blonde? I hope not."

"For real?" Barry asked, looking at Cisco and Tala.

"What, you think Jay is lying about the Sand Demon?" Iris asked.

"I don't know. That's my point. But I'm not gonna just believe some guy that walks in here and says a few things that sort of check out," Barry said.

"Sort of? He was right about Zoom," Cisco said.

"We don't even know anything about Zoom!" Barry retorted. "Or what is Zoom? Is Zoom even real? Right now, that's just, you know, a story around a campfire. I mean, have you discovered a breach yet?"

"Not yet, but we know how to now," Martin said, looking up from the monitors in the center of the room.

"Have you found one thing to suggest that Jay is a speedster?" Barry asked, turning to Caitlin. "Is the speed force even in his system?"

"It doesn't appear to be, no." Caitlin shook her head.

"See? We are scientists, Iris, you're a journalist. We test, we prove, we report," Barry lectured. "That's what we do! Except, right now, nobody here wants to do any of that, except me."

"Can we have the room for a minute?" Iris asked, looking at Tala and Caitlin. They nodded and started leaving the cortex, aiming for Cisco's lab. "What has happened to you?"

"Are you... Me?" Barry asked, looking around the room.

"Yes, you. The you that I grew up with. The you that is my best friend. The you that became the Flash! I haven't seen that you in a very long time," Iris said, looking at Barry in concern. She knew him, she grew up with him. This wasn't the Barry that Iris knew.

"A lot's changed, Iris," Barry waved away.

"Yeah, it sure has. You have learned how to not trust people. What is it about Jay that you don't like?" Iris asked. She wanted it to be something simple, like _he's in better shape than me_ or even something stupid like _I'm the Flash, not him._ But Iris knew that Barry was never so shallow as that.

"I don't know," Barry sighed. He knew, but Barry didn't want to admit it to himself, let alone Iris, or anyone else.

"It's because he reminds you of Harrison Wells," Iris stated, no longer asking. She knew him well enough to know exactly what was bothering her oldest friend.

"I trusted that man. For months, we all did," Barry explained, finally putting a voice to the thoughts that had plagued him since Jay breached their lives, almost literally. "And you know what? Eddie is dead. Ronnie is dead. And a whole lot of other people in this city, they are dead. Because we trusted him. I'm not gonna let us make that mistake again."

"Barry," Iris said softly, sadly, "not everyone is Harrison Wells. Besides, you defeated him because you trusted in people. Because you believed in them. This team that you have here, they will follow your lead. They'll do what you say. But if they think that you don't believe in them, it won't be long before they don't believe in you."

*x*

"Get to walkin'," Joe said, pushing Eddie Slick away from him. "I don't wanna see your ugly mug around here again."

"Sayonara," Slick waved as he walked off. Joe turned to face Patty, who was standing behind him.

"We didn't have probable cause," Joe explained unnecessarily.

"I get it," Patty said optimistically.

"One thing you should know about dealing with these metahumans, nothing is ever as it seems," Joe said. "Speaking of which, you're the only person here who wants to be on my task force. You wanna tell me why you're so hell bent on being on it?"

"You wanna tell me why you're so hell-bent I'm not?" Patty turned the conversation back on him. Joe looked at her, trying to explain his hesitancy at letting someone so green around the metahumans that terrorized this city. Joe watched Patty's brow furrow in confusion and turned, only to see Eddie Slick walking back up to them. Patty reached for her weapon as Joe stalked forward.

"Didn't I just tell you I didn't wanna see your ugly mug around here again?" Joe snarled.

"Well, you're gonna have to, Detective West. So I can get to the Flash," Eddie paused, waiting for the musical voice of his usual partner, but he remembered that he was by himself on this mission, something he hadn't done in the eighteen months since he'd joined the Rogues Gallery. Sand Demon curled his hand and sent a giant sand fist at Detective West, sending him flying. It felt good to get back at West; that whole family was a blight on Central City.

Officer Spivot shouted and drew her gun, firing it at him. Sand Demon held out his arms and shifted into sand when necessary. He thanked the Designer briefly for making it so his clothes were able to shift with him. He decided to bring her back something shiny from this earth when Zoom returned him to his own.

"I like you. You'll do the trick just fine," Sand Demon said smiling at Patty. He used the moves his boss had taught all of them, and moved the muzzle of the gun upward, so she couldn't shoot. "You're coming with me."

*x*

"David?" Tala answered the phone, leaning against Cisco, yawning slightly. "What's the matter?"

"Joe West is in my office telling me Officer Spivot was kidnapped by someone called..."

"Sand Demon. We're on it, Captain," Tala ended the call and looked at her team before running to the cortex. "Barry, Sand Demon kidnapped an Officer Spivot. He's trying to get to you. I think we need Garrick's help on this Sarie."

Barry nodded and stormed down to the pipeline, leaving Tala to roll her eyes and follow behind.

"Sand Demon kidnapped a police officer," Barry said to Garrick. "A woman that I know."

"And you need my help?" Garrick asked.

"We need you to help us save her before something happens," Barry rephrased.

"Guess you're gonna have to trust me now, huh, kid?" Garrick smirked, and Tala rolled her eyes, leaning over and pushing her powers away from her hand to let the scanner open the doors to his cell.

"You ever call me _kid,_ Garrick, and I'll skin you. Got it?" Tala demanded, pulling her armor on and stalking to the cortex. She heard the two speedsters following behind her.

"We're looking for any structures that promote humidity," Garrick said once they got the team gathered. "Greenhouses, grow rooms, anything of the sort. His body will literally start to fall apart if he becomes dehydrated."

"Like dry sand," Caitlin added.

"Exactly," Jay nodded. "Sand Demon always attacks on two fronts. He creates a diversion, then strikes when you're distracted."

"Then we'll have the upper hand. He'll have to distract us both," Tala said, adjusting her mask.

"We can use your speed, Barry, to get to him before the distraction can happen," Jay said, nodding to Barry.

"Jay, how do I stop somebody who can slip through my fingers?" Barry asked.

"The way I never was able to. With lightning," Jay said. Tala and Cisco exchanged excited looks.

"Yo-oh!" Cisco cheered, clapping his hands together. "Are you about to pull a Zeus right now?"

"What are you talking about?" Iris asked.

"Barry's gonna hurl lightning from the energy he creates when he runs," Tala explained, grinning under her hood. "When he runs he creates enough energy to power my company. If he can channel that, he could potentially throw it at anything, including this Meta."

"And lightning plus sand equals..." Caitlin started.

"Glass," Barry finished, looking impressed.

"Time to learn something new, kid," Garrick said. Cisco and Tala imitated throwing a lightning bolt, grinning. Barry saw Joe pacing in the hallway and chased after him, clapping Cisco on the back. Tala pushed her hood down, letting her glowing blue eyes be seen.

"Caitlin, Martin, pull up satellite feed and anything else you can find around that area, I want to track his movements," Tala said, giving orders. "Garrick, any advice you can give me in order to defeat this little shit, I'd appreciate."

Tala looked at Jay, feeling his energy move. It was a speedster's energy, but it was slower than Barry's or Eobard's. It felt jagged and broken, and out of sync with the energy of the rest of the team, as though someone was grinding two pieces of sandpaper together.

"Tala!" Jay shouted, Tala blinked seeing him kneeling in front of her seat. "Are you okay?"

"Oh my head," Tala moaned, clutching her head. "Your energy is seriously whacked."

"What do you mean, my energy?" The Earth Two speedster asked.

"I feel vibrations in everything, and everyone's energy is different, your energy rubs me the wrong way, it doesn't mesh with the energies of this world. It's painful, but I'll be okay. Cait, Martin, do we have anything?"

"I've searched all the vacant buildings in Central City, and none of them fit the description that we need," Caitlin said, shaking her head.

"And I've looked at any draw upticks on the electrical grid," Martin added. "Nothing out of the norm, I'm afraid."

"We gotta do whatever it takes," Cisco said, looking at Tala. The assassin stood and walked over to him, pushing her powers away from her hand as she took his within her own. "We'll be back."

Tala and Cisco walked from the cortex to Cisco's lab, where the sand was still sitting.

"In theory, it should be just like the dream," Tala said, squeezing his hand tightly. "I'll be with you the entire time."

Cisco shook his head nervously before taking a deep breath. With his free hand he reached out and touched Sand Demon's cells on the slide. Tala's eyes turned blue again as she looked around, seeing a warehouse.

"Flash is coming for you, you know," Spivot said, tied to a chair.

"Yes, I'm sure he is," Sand Demon responded, working on a bomb behind the police officer.

"You can't beat him. I don't care what powers you have," Spivot was saying as Cisco and Tala looked around, trying to figure out where they were.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," The Earth Two Meta said.

"Oh, no," Tala said, figuring out what the bomb was. Cisco pulled them out of the vision, and Tala let go of his hand, rubbing her forehead.

"Mister Ramon, Tala? What are you doing down here?" Martin asked, causing Tala to turn around, not having noticed him.

"I figured out where Patty is," Cisco said.

"And how, exactly, did you do that?" Martin asked, suspicious.

"Just a hunch," Cisco lied. "We gotta tell Barry!"

Cisco ran out of the room, leaving Tala and Martin behind. Martin looked at her for an answer, and Tala sighed.

"It's not my secret to tell, Martin," Tala said softly. "But, it is legitimate, and Cisco can be trusted."

Tala chased after Cisco, following him to the basement where Barry was working with Jay on throwing lightning.

"I know where they are!" Cisco shouted as they all ran into the room. The two flashes ran over, and Tala stepped away from Jay, still uncomfortable with his energy. "The abandoned Woodrue grow house. That's where Slick's keeping Patty."

"Dude, great job," Barry said, clapping Cisco on the back. Tala smiled proudly at Cisco, glad they found Patty.

"And I was thinking, if I were Sand Demon, and was attacking a Speedster on two fronts, I would probably wanna slow you down, like, by using a concussive bomb, or something like that."

"Because it wouldn't hurt him, Cisco you're brilliant," Tala said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. She knew that they saw Slick building a concussive bomb, but Cisco didn't want the team to know, so she would play along.

"That's a good thought," Jay said. "He's actually used one on me before. His body absorbs the blast so it doesn't affect him. Well, kid, you're gonna have to think of something."

"You know what, what if we give Slick a diversion?" Barry said. "He knows you, right? You said you went up against him."

"Yeah, but Barry, Garrick doesn't have his speed," Tala said. "How can he help?"

"Sand Demon doesn't know that. You still got your suit?" Barry asked. Tala shrugged, turning to Jay.

"Sure, well, except my helmet," Jay said.

"Helmet?" Martin and Tala echoed.

"Silver kettle helmet? Gold wings?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala who gave him a lopsided grin. The helmet that flew out of the original breach.

"Don't tell me you guys found it," Jay said, mildly astonished.

"It flew out of the original breach, before the singularity. It's in the cortex, let's go," Tala said, leading the way up to the cortex. Cait brought the helmet out of her office and handed it to Jay.

"Never thought I'd see that again," Jay said, looking at it. "It was my father's, from the War of the Americas."

"Did you just say War of the Americas?" Cisco asked, tilting his head.

"I wish you would've just told us you lost your helmet," Barry said, smiling. "Would've saved us all a headache."

Caitlin placed the helmet on Jay's head, and it was a perfect fit, like Cinderella and her shoe.

"Well, you sure you want to do this, Flash?" Tala asked, pulling her hood back on, shrouding her face in shadow, leaving two glowing blue eyes just visible.

"Let's go see what you're made of, Haven, Flash," Jay responded. Tala gave both speedsters a feral grin.

Tala jumped on Barry's back and the speedster grabbed Jay, running them both to just outside the warehouse. Tala jumped down and started sneaking into the building, intent on saving Patty so the two Flashes could deal with the villain of the week.

"I'm in the security feed. Go, Barry!" Cisco said in comms. Barry and Jay ran into the room, passing Tala.

"Is that you, Flash? Found your way here?" Slick asked, not turning around. When he did, he saw Jay, instead of Barry.

"I came quite a distance," Jay said, making Tala roll her eyes. _What is this, a TV show on the CW?_ She thought to herself.

"Thought you were dead," Sand Demon asked.

"You were wrong, like usual," Jay said. "Let the girl go."

Tala walked toward Patty once Slick had his back turned and wrapped her powers around the bomb, containing the explosion.

"Have at it. But you touch her, she goes boom!" Eddie Slick said. Tala held a finger to her lips, signaling for Patty to keep quiet. "Yeah, and I think even you aren't fast enough to save her."

Jay started throwing punches, which Slick dodged easily without the Speed Force helping Jay. Tala cut through the bindings around Patty's wrists, but motioned for her to stay seated.

"I have the bomb safely secured, but we will still experience a bit of blowback, wait until Slick is distracted," Tala whispered. Patty nodded, rubbing her wrists.

"Quite a bit slower on this Earth, aren't you, Flash?" Slick asked. Jay caught him in the jaw and Tala and Patty watched while sand flew and then reformed. Thankfully, he didn't see them. Sand Demon quickly returned the hit, plus a few more, making Jay double over. "You don't have your speed, do you?"

"Slick's distracted, Sarie, you're up!" Tala whispered in her comms. Barry ran into the room and grabbed Patty, just as Tala threw her powers out to catch them should the blast not be contained enough. Tala slid back a few feet from the blast, and watched as Barry, Jay, and Patty were all thrown back too, but with no damage.

"Jay!"

"Barry, Tala!" Caitlin called out for the Earth two Flash, while Cisco called out to the team members from Earth One. Tala stood and shook her head, groaning slightly.

"I think I got a concussion, Thalaj," Tala muttered, clutching her head. She glared at Eddie who was still standing, before turning to Barry who was just standing up.

"Patty's alive, just unconscious," Barry said into comms. Tala waved her hand and sent a group of tendrils to protect the police officer.

"Must be my lucky day! Zoom sent me here to kill you," Slick said. "Now I get to kill the Flash from two worlds before I go home."

Slick reached his arm out and started choking Jay. Tala looked expectantly at Barry while drawing her bow, notching an arrow.

"Am I not important enough to warrant death?" Tala asked, speaking into her comms, rather than to Slick. "Like seriously, I'm almost offended. Also, Koneko, I ought to look into making taser arrows. Could come in handy for situations like this."

"Barry, you gotta do something, now!" Iris demanded as Tala shot Slick, watching in annoyance as her arrows flew through them. Barry and Jay nodded at each other, and Barry started running in a circle around the three Metahumans. Slick got nervous and dropped Jay. Tala ran over and threw a barrier around them, protecting them from the lightning that Barry threw with a yell.

Sand Demon watched the lightning circling him, the blue matter from Haven keeping them all in a dome, making it so he couldn't escape. He knew it was the end for him, the lightning strike would kill him, turning him to glass. He turned his last thoughts to his partner, probably wondering where he was, maybe even absently refilling the humidifier in their apartment, humming to herself as she quizzed the empty room on her nursing books. He thought about his boss, and how they'd taken him in when the rest of the world thought to cast him out. _I'm sorry I failed you,_ Sand Demon thought, not thinking of Zoom's mission, but his family on Earth Two.

The lightning hit Slick and threw him backwards, where he hit the ground with a crash, shattering him. Tala waved away the barrier and stood, pulling Jay to his feet.

"You okay, Sarie?" Tala asked, as they walked toward each other. Barry nodded, and asked them the same question. "I think I've got sand in my hair again. That's annoying."

"Yeah, I'm okay. Nice shot, kid," Jay said. Tala looked over as Patty started stirring, and waved away that barrier too.

"Flash?" Patty asked.

"Coming," Barry and Jay said in sync. Tala rolled her eyes and walked over with them, pulling the officer to her feet.

"You're a cop?" Patty asked, looking at the badge sewn onto the sleeve of Tala's suit, right next to the memorial.

"Captain Singh and I have an understanding. Plus I'm always helping, so I'm an honorary cop," Tala explained. "And it means that the officers at CCPD will stop trying to arrest me. Flash, take Patty back to the precinct, then come back here for me."

Barry grabbed Patty and ran her back to CCPD before coming back for Tala and Jay, running them to Star Labs. Tala pushed away her armor as soon as they crossed into the cortex.

"Cait, I'd check on Garrick, make sure Slick didn't do too much damage to him," Tala said, walking over to lean against Cisco. "Let's go home, I need a shower, again."

"Make sure you rest, Tala, that blast might have done some damage," Cait called over her shoulder. Tala waved her hand in acknowledgment as Cisco and Tala started walking out of the Cortex and toward the elevator.

*x*

Haven walked into the bullpen, her hood up, and her mask on. The police didn't bother to react, most of them had gotten used to her appearing or disappearing whenever the protector wanted a word.

"Officer Spivot," Joe greeted as Patty walked out of the elevator.

"Detective."

"You're supposed to be home resting," Haven said, approaching the pair. Joe had asked her to speak with the eager officer about the anti-metahuman task force.

"I'm okay, sir, ma'am, really," Patty said, smiling. She was telling the truth. Sand Demon hadn't hurt her, much to her surprise. He'd shaken her, and tried to kill her, but there hadn't actually been any physical violence. The worst part was shaking all the sand out of her uniform when she'd returned home.

"Look, I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this mess because of me," Joe said, leading the two women back toward his desk.

"It's not your fault," Patty reassured. She didn't blame Joe for any of it, she had guessed that the metas were from the particle accelerator explosion a year ago, and Joe demanding to know where Slick was the night of it had confirmed her suspicion. She blamed Harrison Wells, and his science.

"Do you really think you have what it takes to be part of my task force?" Haven asked, feeling for the officer's energy. Haven could feel a lot of mixed signals. Excitement, anxiety. A steady heartbeat, even in the face of a metahuman. A blinding optimism that felt like a beam of sunlight. Lots of potential to be great.

"I know it, ma'am," Patty said, looking at the back of Haven's hood as she walked ahead of her with Joe.

"Well, I always check the jacket of anyone I'm considering for it," Joe said, pulling out her file. It was thicker than just her police file, as Haven had done some additional digging. "In my research on you, I found out we got a mutual acquaintance. Mark Mardon. I need you to be honest with me here. Why do you want to do this?"

"Mark Mardon killed my dad," Patty said. Her energy changed, the warmth of her optimism turning cold, bitter, inward as much as outward. Patty's energy was shaking, tiny little tremors, like those caused by frigid temperatures or furious anger. "He had a little shoe shop down on Chesterfield. It was a cash business. One night he went to Fairfield bank to make his weekly deposit, and the Mardon brothers showed up. While he was waiting in line, Mark shot my dad in the face for a few hundred dollars. Then, a few months later, Mark and his brother got powers. Two murderers got superpowers. So that's why I'm here, Sir, Ma'am. That's why I'm so hell-bent on being on your task force. 'Cause there's some bad people out there and they can do anything. And I may not have powers, but I want to stop them. You're the only person I know who wants to do that, too."

Haven and Joe shared a look, one of partners, and trust, speaking paragraphs before they both nodded.

"Monday, eight a.m. Don't be late," Joe said as he turned and walked away. Haven turned and went the other way, heading for the stairs to the alley, where her bike was parked.

"Uh, late for what?" Patty asked, turning to Joe.

"The task force, Detective," Haven called, smiling to herself under her hood. She knew Patty was holding something back, but she didn't know what, only that it was why her bitterness was turned inward.

Joe turned and started jogging up the stairs toward Barry's lab as the elevator dinged behind him.

"Joseph," a female voice called out, so startlingly familiar, and yet so completely new. "Hi. Been a long time."

"Yeah, it has. Why are you here?" Joe asked, walking down the few stairs he'd taken. She wore a nice dress, the way she had when they were younger, first starting out.

"Because you didn't return my calls. And I wanted to see you," she replied, her eyes sad, still looking the way they had all those years ago, but clear, not foggy or muddled. "And our daughter."

*x*

"Could this thing render any slower?" Tala asked, sending a new line of code up to the satellites before turning to face Cisco's monitor.

"Any progress with the electrophotography?" Martin asked as he walked in. Tala and Cisco turned to look at him.

"The satellite picture of the city is still rendering," Cisco said, checking the progress now that it started to work

"While we wait, care to tell me what's going on with you?" Martin asked. Cisco turned to Tala accusingly, and she shook her head.

"Nothing, Professor, nothing, I'm fine," Cisco said.

"Two hunches in one day," Martin said. "Slick's locale and that he'd be using a concussive bomb to thwart Barry. Do I need to inform you of the odds of such a prediction?"

"Something's happening to me. I'm starting to... Perceive things horrible things," Cisco said, taking Tala's hand. "It started after Wells killed me in the other timeline. It came back when Atom Smasher attacked on Flash Day, and then again when Sand Demon showed up. I get a vibe, and then a vision of something that's already happened. And then it's gone."

"I can feel the energy change when Cisco sees the visions, and if we have direct skin contact, I can see the vision too," Tala said, holding up her hand and pulling her powers away from it, showing Martin the difference. "It's how we knew where Slick was, and about the bomb."

"Cisco, this is amazing. We have to study this, figure out what to do," Martin said excitedly.

"No, no, no, we are not doing any of that!" Cisco said forcefully, standing. "And we're certainly not telling anybody either!"

"Cisco, I would think you'd be the one most intrigued with knowing exactly what this is and how it works!" Martin said in disbelief.

"I'm seeing things I don't want to see, and knowing things I don't want to know," Cisco said. "I just want it to stop! Professor, I don't want anyone to know about this. Not yet."

Cisco turned his back to Martin, pushing his hair out of his face and looking things over on his tablet. Tala placed her hand on his back, trying to comfort him slightly.

"It's okay to be afraid, you know," Martin said.

"Wells told me this was in my future, that _he_ gave me this power," Cisco said slowly. "But everything he did was evil. That's what scares me, Professor. You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this."

"I promise," Martin said, looking at Cisco, then at Tala, giving them both his word. Tala spun in her chair to face the monitor as the computer started beeping.

"Oh, shit," Tala said, looking at the screen. She leapt out of her chair and ran to the cortex, where she pulled up the same feed and summoned the team.

"It appears that while we were indeed successful in closing the Singularity, there was an unfortunate side effect," Martin said once everyone had arrived.

"What are you talking about?" Barry demanded.

"Using electrophotography, Cisco, Tala and I were able to search Central City for energy entering our Earth from another dimension. From any breaches, as Mister Garrick described them," Martin explained.

"But, of course, there isn't just one breach," Tala said, smiling pleasantly while her eyes promised murder.

"There's fifty two of them, scattered throughout the city," Cisco said, putting his hand on Tala's shoulder.

"These breaches are pockets of time and space, folded into and upon itself. But the most significant breach of all, appears to be this one," Martin pointed to the biggest spot on the satellite image. Cisco hit a button on his remote and zoomed in on it.

"And where exactly is that located?" Caitlin asked.

"The basement," Tala whined, pouting.

"And just beyond that breach is an entirely-" Martin started stuttering and Tala felt his energy react violently against itself. She dove to the ground, pulling her powers around her as she caught Martin just before he hit the ground in a dead faint. Tala looked around at the team, wondering what the hell had happened.

*x*

" _I'm so sorry," the woman in black whispered, running her fingers through curly hair. A man, built of solid muscle with brown angel's wings, stood stoically behind them. Another man, dark hair and a furious anger stood nearby, clutching a pair of glasses. "We will find a way to mourn them. They will never be forgotten, and their killer will pay."_

" _He took our partners!" The angel raged, his eyes flashing with hellfire. Dark wisps seemed to curl around him, wrapping around his arm in comfort. "He will burn. I want his head."_

" _And we will have it. He is far too powerful for us to go against actively, and my wife cannot protect all of us at once, or have you forgotten?" The angel nodded, showing respect to his bosses. The crying girl seemed to shake herself before she bounced around the room, collecting seemingly random objects before she placed them on the dining room table. The woman in black stared at her in worry, losing her partner had struck the nurse hard._

" _We need to plan. And we will need help. Call your gang, I will call my oath-bound. This speedster will understand why it is a bad idea to touch my Rogues. Call a meeting, summon everyone back here, make sure the entire Gallery knows what is at stake. We will not lose another."_


	29. 203 Family of Rogues

"Tala, thank you for meeting me," Joe said, passing the coffee to the assassin. She accepted it with a smile and followed him to a booth in the corner. "I need some advice, on a delicate matter."

"Of course, Joe, I'm always here to help," Tala said, holding the coffee mug tightly, trying to steal some of its warmth. "You're not in any kind of trouble, are you?"

"No, well, not yet," Joe took a deep breath, staring at his coffee. "Iris' mother is in town. She wants to see her."

"I thought Iris' mother was dead," Tala said, looking at the Detective sharply. "Iris told me that she died in a fire. Is that not true?"

"My wife had a drug problem. It was getting out of control, one night she was passed out from an overdose and there was a fire, but she didn't die," Joe explained. "Francine just left, no word, nothing. I told Iris she had died because I didn't want her to think she had been abandoned."

"And now that Francine is back, she wants to see Iris," Tala deduced. "Iris deserves to know her mother was alive. Don't force her into seeing Francine, but leave it as an option. If I were to discover my mother was alive after all this time thinking her dead, I'd probably be overjoyed. Let her decide to meet Francine, Iris is strong."

"Thank you," Joe said, smiling. "You're rather bundled up, are you getting sick?"

"No, it's just too freaking cold outside," Tala said, glaring out the window. "I just can't deal with the cold. Not since the Gambit went down."

"You never talk about it," Joe commented. "The accident, or the five years you spent away."

"As much as I loved my time at Nanda Parbat, it wasn't a summer camp, with campfires and marshmallows, Joe," Tala said pensively. "It was training, and learning and fighting and killing. It was making different poisons and taking them to learn the effects and how to treat yourself. It was fighting in showings for Ra's al Ghul, and knowing that if you didn't win you would probably die at someone's hand. It's just best not to talk about it when death is such an extreme here."

Joe nodded and they sat quietly, each thinking about different things, but each coming back to family, and who their families were.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Barry asked as they walked into the room with the breach.

"I still can't believe what I'm looking at," Jay said. "Tala, how didn't you feel this?"

"It feels like silk," Tala said, walking toward it with wide eyes. "Like smooth caramel and butterscotch candies."

"Fifty two breaches in Central City, and the biggest one just happens to be in our basement," Barry said, shaking his head.

"We need a name for it," Cisco said. Tala giggled slightly.

"It's not a pet, Cisco," Caitlin scolded.

"No, it's a wormhole," Martin said as he entered the room. Tala didn't turn, staring at the breach. Tendrils of her power flowed around her, some reaching out to touch the breach, others just floating, twisting like the breach was doing.

"Professor Stein, what are you doing?" Caitlin demanded, turning to face the remaining half of Firestorm. "Your blood pressure is one forty seven over eighty two! You could pass out again!"

"Oh, it's merely a few points above the one forty average for someone my age," Martin replied. "And Tala would catch me again if I did. Besides, I have some ideas I would like to contribute to this discussion, Doctor Snow."

"And I want to hear them," Jay said. "This isn't just a wormhole. It's my way home."

"Back to Earth Two," Caitlin said, a sadness creeping into her voice.

"Jay, you really think that we can use... This as some kind of bridge from your world to ours?" Barry asked.

"Zoom uses the breaches, why can't we?" Jay responded. He turned and looked at the breach, then at Tala who was still staring at it. "Is she supposed to react that way?"

Cisco turned and saw Tala looking up at the breach. Her eyes were blue again, and her nails had lengthened and turned to silver points, the way they hadn't since the Singularity.

"Tala?" Cisco asked, walking over to her. He tapped her on the shoulder and frowned when she didn't respond. Cisco sighed and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her away from the breach. "Tala!"

"It feels so good!" Tala said, looking at Cisco with wide blue eyes. "Can't you feel it?"

Cisco shook his head, smiling at her drunken excitement. He led her away from the breach, standing her next to Jay. Tala blinked rapidly and shuddered, her powers fading as she shook her head.

"That thing is intoxicating. Maybe we should keep me away from breaches. I would stand there and let the world burn just to feel that energy around me," Tala said rubbing her head. "But in response to you, Garrick, we don't know how to use the breaches. Everything Cisco tried to put through just bounced back. My powers got through, but I think they actually melted into the breach, rather than going through it."

"If Zoom's using these breaches to transport people from Earth Two, maybe it takes a speedster." Barry shrugged and ran out of the room.

"He's not gonna..." Tala and Cisco said, looking at each other with exasperation.

"Yeah, he is," Jay said, nodding. Barry ran back into the room, aiming for the breach. As he passed, Tala threw up the same netting she used when she expected him to fall off the treadmill at super speeds. She caught him as he flew back, causing energy to bounce all over the room.

"Maybe I'm not fast enough," Barry said, smiling on the ground. Tala snorted and started laughing quietly.

"I don't believe your speed is the entirety of the issue, Barry," Martin said as Jay walked over to pull Barry to his feet. The moment Jay was more than five feet away from Tala, her powers came back out and her eyes turned blue again. Cisco rolled his eyes and shoved her farther away from the breach, watching as her powers receded again. "It might be the breach's stability, or lack thereof.

"He's right. We need to think of the breach as a door," Jay said, standing next to Tala. "And on Earth Two, there's another door. In between we have a hallway. But the hallway's constantly shifting, twisting, collapsing upon itself."

"So the doors keep moving with it," Barry said.

"So, we stabilize the door, we stabilize the hallway," Cisco elaborated.

"And then I can jump through it," Barry exclaimed.

"Exactly. It would serve as a kind of a cannon," Jay said, his eyes lighting up.

"A speed cannon," Tala and Jay said together, smiling at each other before turning to Cisco.

"Mmmh, we should hang out more," Cisco said, gesturing to Jay and himself. Tala smiled; glad they had accepted Jay as part of the group. Especially because his sandpapery energy was keeping her from fawning over the breach.

"All right," Martin said loudly. "No more tests today. All of you are leaving now, as am I. Cherish the gift of youth, as I will go cherish my much-needed nap. Clarissa's already on her way to pick me up."

"Jitters is reopening, you all game?" Tala asked, leading the way out of the Breach Room, nodding to Jay over Cisco's shoulder. "Cody is in the garage, and Caity won't stop blowing up my phone over it. She is so excited about this new drink they have, called Haven. It's blue. Literally blue coffee, how dope is that?"

"Of course you're excited over it being blue, miss blue hair. But, why is it blue?" Barry asked, leaning forward.

"They put two new drinks on the menu, Flash and Haven. Flash is coffee with an extra shot, and Haven is a double shot cappuccino that's blue, topped with blue whipped cream," Tala explained as Cody drove them to Jitters. "Flash is to and I quote, _Keep you running all day,_ and Haven was probably designed for me by Caity who probably thinks I'm Haven because of my obsession with blue. I'm not going to complain, I'm just going to drink seven of them."

Tala, Cisco and Cait went to sit at a table, Barry trailing behind, looking around at all the Flash and Haven themed decorations. Tala waved at Caity, signaling to her that she needed drinks for all of them. Caity nodded and started working on them, as Iris joined them at the table. When they were done, Barry went to grab them, bumping into Patty on his way back to the table.

"I wonder what Metacrap we'll deal with this week. Or maybe Zoom is taking a vacation, somewhere tropical I hope," Tala muttered, glaring at the windows, pulling her leather jacket tighter around her.

"Alright, five Flashes and two Havens, courtesy of Tala's fangirl, Caity," Barry said, setting the drinks down on the table. "Be careful, Tala did say they are super-caffeinated."

"Just the way I like it," Tala said, starting on the Flash right away. "Mmh, Barry, you taste good."

Barry and Tala looked at each other with wide eyes, realizing what she said. Cisco snorted, cracking up, causing Tala to do the same, laughing into her coffee.

"Can we pretend that never happened?" Barry asked, biting his lip.

"I think that's for the best," Iris said, laughing too.

"First we have a day named after us, now we have drinks," Tala said. "I like this city so much better than Star City. I get so much more love here!"

"Well, all the things you two do, rebuilding this place, protecting people, everyone's appreciative, right?" Iris asked. "In Star City, all you did was put arrows in people."

"Mmhmm, I'll drink to that," Cisco said, holding up his Flash and his Haven drink, tapping them against everyone else's glasses.

"Hey, you guys think Professor Stein is okay, right? I mean, Clarissa would call if there was anything wrong?" Caitlin asked. Tala and Iris nodded. "Alright. I'm just gonna call and check in, I'll be back."

"I don't see that call going well," Barry said. Tala held up her empty Flash cup in agreement. She grabbed Haven and took a sip. She sighed and appeared to melt into her cup, a happy, weightless smile on her face.

"Young lady," Cisco imitated Martin, causing Tala to start laughing again. "These repeated intrusions are interrupting what should be a speedy -oh! I'm so sorry."

The girl that bumped into Cisco stopped and turned around to face the group.

"Don't apologize. You can bump into me any day, Cisco," Lisa Snart said. Tala groaned and hit her head against the table with a thump.

"Lisa Snart, you here to double-cross us again or are you and your big bro holding up coffee shops now?"

"I need your help," Lisa pouted. Tala sat up and turned to face her incredulously.

"In your dreams Sister Cold. You know Tala's here. Or I could call The Flash, he'd be here in, like, two seconds, probably one," Cisco said, glancing at Barry.

"Call him," Lisa demanded. Cisco pulled out his phone and Tala subtly pulled up a wall so Barry could escape and reappear in red.

"Oh, okay, I'mma call him!" Cisco said, dialing Barry's number. "You really want me to call The Flash?"

"I need his help, too," Lisa said.

"What's wrong Lisa? Why didn't Len just call me?" Tala asked, concern filling her voice as she faced the girl. "I know he has my number."

"My brother's been kidnapped," Lisa said. Tala sighed and stood up, wrapping her arm around Lisa protectively. She waved to Caity, who walked over with two Havens to go.

"Barry, Iris, we'll talk with you later, we have Flash stuff to deal with," Tala said, smiling to her friends, winking at Barry. "Lisa, you come with me and Cisco, we're going to Star Labs. Cisco, once we're in the car, call Flash and have him meet us there."

Tala finished her mug and grabbed her to-go cup, pushing Lisa out the doors to Jitters. Cisco followed, pressing call once they were clear of the doors.

"Flash, it's Cisco, can you meet us at Star Labs?" Cisco asked. Tala opened the doors to the car and motioned for the Golden Glider to get in.

"Cody, Star Labs, we have a rogue to rescue apparently," Tala said, rolling her eyes as Cisco climbed in and shut the door.

"Right away Miss Merlyn," Cody said, sending her a concerned look in the mirror. She shook her head, telling him not to worry. "Oh, and you asked me to remind you two about the upcoming board meeting. Kevin will be in town again for it, so good luck."

"I was hoping he would forget about it," Tala groaned. "I hate board meetings."

"No, you love board meetings," Cisco corrected. "You hate the fact that Cynthia likes shoving you in skirts and dresses for board meetings."

Tala nodded in agreement as Cisco climbed out of the car, holding his hand out to help Tala get out of the car. They lead Lisa up to the Cortex, where Barry was waiting in the Flash suit with Caitlin. Tala idly wondered where Jay was.

"All right, so you really want us to just believe that Captain Cold was kidnapped?" Barry asked.

"I saw it happen!" Lisa said defensively. "Last night, Lenny, me, and Mick were knocking over the cashier's cage at Central City Racetrack."

"Does it physically pain your family to not rob people?" Caitlin asked. Tala chuckled, remembering some of the things she would do when she was bored, both in Star City and at Nanda Parbat.

"I never finished the job," Lisa defended. "Well, after Mick torched through the side entrance, I looked back for Lenny, and saw him getting thrown into the back of a van."

"And you and Mick didn't follow? What the hell Lisa!" Tala scolded, glaring at the younger Snart. "And why didn't you call me sooner! I'd have been there."

"I would have! Someone hit me from behind and knocked me out," Lisa explained. "When I came to, Lenny was gone and Mick already made off with the cash."

"How do we know this isn't some kind of a trap?" Caitlin asked skeptically.

"If Lenny wanted the Flash dead, he would've let Mardon, Simmons, and Bivolo take that honor, remember?" Lisa asked, reminding them of their failure to land the Metas on Lian Yu before the accelerator went fully active.

"Yeah, we remember," Barry said, annoyed.

"Good. Then you'll recall that you owe Lenny a favor for saving your life," Lisa said, smiling at Barry. "Time to make good on that debt, Flash."

"I do not like her," Caitlin said, turning to Tala.

"Yeah, but she makes a point," Cisco said. Tala and Caitlin turned to face him, surprise etched on their faces. "What? We should at least hear her out. Right?"

"Even if we wanted to help, how are we supposed to find him?" Barry asked. Tala rolled her shoulders and pulled her armor on.

"Not a problem," Cisco said, walking over to the computers. "See, when I rebuilt the cold gun, I didn't have time to place a tracker on it. So I devised a method of locating it by borrowing some military technology. See, the gun works the same as thermal imaging."

"Except instead of looking for an infrared heat signature, you're looking for an ultraviolet cold signature. You're amazing," Tala said fondly.

"There we go. The gun's UV thermal reading was last picked up at Fifth and Hoyt, eight minutes ago," Cisco said.

Tala walked over and wrapped her arm around Barry's waist, holding on to him in preparation for the run.

"Alright, let's see if you're a liar," Barry said. He grabbed hold of Tala and ran them to Fifth and Hoyt, an office building. They looked around, Tala sending her powers out to feel for energies.

"I feel Leonard's energy, he's here somewhere, but there's someone else here too," Tala whispered. Barry ran them to the other side of the room.

"Snart!" He whispered, catching sight of the rogue.

"Hey Len," Tala greeted, smiling under her hood.

"Barry, Killer," Leonard greeted. He seemed surprised to see them, but didn't show it. Only the stuttering of his energy gave him away. Tala reached for his energy, feeling it, wondering why it felt so weird.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked. Leonard thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"Peachy!"

"Okay, well, um, we're supposed to be here to rescue you..." Tala said, following after the rogue as he walked away.

"I appreciate it, but it's not necessary, Little Killer. You two can speed along now," Leonard said, setting a roll of blueprints down on the desk in front of him.

"Look, Snart, if these guys are making you do this..." Barry trailed off.

"No one makes me do anything," Len said, turning to face the two Metas.

"Then why does Lisa think you've been kidnapped? She tracked down me and Cisco to ask for help," Tala explained. She and Barry turned as a door slammed shut on the opposite end of the floor. Leonard pulled out his gun and froze the Flash and Haven from the chest down. Tala's lips turned blue, and her teeth started chattering.

"What's taking so long?" The man asked.

"I got held up," Len said, shooting Tala an apologetic look.

"Always the excuse with you... Well, look at that. I didn't think you had it in you, son," The man said, looking at Barry and Tala, whose breathing was labored from the cold.

"Thanks, Dad," Snart said sarcastically.

"Come on, we're behind schedule," Lewis Snart said, walking away.

"You know what they say. Live fast, die young," Len said as he walked away.

"Talk to me! Tala, what's going on, your telemetry is all over the place," Cisco's worried voice came through comms.

"Cisco! Len hit us with his cold gun. Please tell me you got that working!" Tala begged, shivering. "I can't break the ice."

"Their vitals are bottoming out!" Caitlin's voice said in a panic.

"That's it, I'm bringing the heat right now!" Cisco said. Tala relaxed when she felt the thermal threading in her suit start heating up, melting the ice and warming her up.

"The suit. What's happening?" Barry asked, looking around as his emblem started glowing, melting the ice off of him.

"Therma-threading, baby! It's a little something I added for situations exactly like this one," Cisco explained. "And Tala hates the cold, so hers has settings for when you two are kicking ass in the winter. Please... Please tell me it's working."

"Yeah, it worked. But I'm gonna need a blanket and another coffee when I get back though," Tala said, shivering still.

"Good news, Cody just pulled back into the garage, and has food and coffee," Caitlin said, glancing at security feed of the garage.

"Len's gone. And Lisa has a lot of explaining to do," Tala said, nodding to Barry, letting him know she was ready to get back to the Labs. He picked her up and ran them back to Star Labs, where Tala pushed away her armor and dropped into a chair, grabbing the Jitters cup from Cody, who set a bag of Big Belly Burger in front of her.

"Lisa, Len wasn't kidnapped. He was pulling a job," Tala said, still shivering. "With your father."

"What?" Lisa asked. Tala could feel that her energy was genuinely confused. "No, Lenny would never do that."

"Oh, just like he would never try to kill the Flash with his cold gun?" Caitlin asked. "Or, like he would never attack Tala?"

"Are you sure it was my dad?" Lisa asked.

"He called Len, son, and Len called the man dad. It even kinda looked like Lewis," Tala said. Cisco pulled up Lewis' mug shots on the monitors. "Yeah, that's him. Sorry Lisa."

"Lewis Snart. Convicted of larceny, armed robbery, aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon..." Caitlin read off.

"You have to believe me, Lenny would never work with him," Lisa protested. "He's a bad guy."

"You and your entire family are criminals. Why should we trust anything you say?" Caitlin asked. Tala stood and walked over, standing next to Lisa feeling defensive; her father was a criminal, as well as half of her chosen family. Lisa pulled over her jacket, showing a scar.

"I didn't get this scar being a criminal. I got it being a daughter," Lisa said before she walked off. Tala grabbed her food before following her. The assassin paused at the door to the cortex.

"I believe her. I felt Len's energy when Lewis walked into the room. Len hates the man," Tala said looking at her friends. Tala chased after Lisa, following her to Cisco's lab. She heard Cisco following behind her.

"Want some fries?" Tala asked, holding up the bag. "They're not half bad for something with more grease than potato."

"I see she found our hiding spot," Cisco said as he entered. He reached around Tala and pulled a burger from the fast food bag. "This is usually where I come to, you know, get away. Tala prefers her gym so she can hit things."

"First time my father came after me, I was seven. Second time, I was eight," Lisa said, picking up the container of curly fries. "That's when I learned that a bottle hurts worse than a fist. He used to say he was trying to teach us lessons. I must've been a slow learner because the lessons never stopped."

Tala reached over and took one of Lisa's hands as Cisco walked over to her other side.

"I wasn't raised by my parents," Tala said. "I was sent away to avoid the spotlight. I didn't hear from my father until I was ten. I didn't know my mother died until I started middle school. All that time, I only had one friend. Now, I have a family that loves me and accepts me for who I am. You have that too Lisa, with Len and me. Cisco too."

"I'm sorry Lisa, for all you've suffered," Cisco said, taking Lisa's other hand.

"Lenny practically raised me," Lisa said, letting Tala lean against her. "If it weren't for him, I would've turned out a lot worse. I know, how could I be any worse."

"I didn't say that," Cisco said.

"You could be blonde," Tala chuckled. "I didn't care for you in that wig, I like this color better."

"You didn't have to, Cisco," Lisa said. "But believe me, there is worse. And look, he may be a jerk brother, but he's the only jerk brother I've got. He protected me. Now it's my turn. If he's with my dad, he is in serious trouble. Please, you've gotta find out what's going on."

"We will, but for now, let's get some sleep, yeah? It's late, and there's nothing we can do to save Len if he's in bed," Tala said. "We've got a spare room you can crash in if you'd like."

Tala answered her phone, a call from Barry. She listened before staring at the phone uncomprehendingly as Barry ended the call.

"What do you... Huh?" Tala said. "I'm so not okay with this, Cisco, get Caitlin up here, now! I am not putting another name on my memorial, so please?"

"Hey, Caitlin. We need you up here, like, right now," Cisco said into the PA system. Tala guided their human bomb into a chair while Cisco set up a piece of ultrasound equipment.

"Oh, Allah preserve us," Tala muttered, staring at the monitor.

"What is it?" Lisa asked, looking over at Caitlin and Tala. Tala walked over and took her hand.

"Lisa, there are traces of thermite on your skin," Caitlin said.

"Thermite? Like an explosive?" Lisa asked.

"Not like an explosive..." Caitlin trailed off.

"It's a bomb," Cisco and Tala said together, looking at Lisa with worry in their eyes. Cisco took over the explanation. "When you were knocked out, your dad must have injected you with it."

"This is freaking Task Force X all over again!" Tala groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I'll call Lyla, see if she has any advice on getting it out."

Tala walked out of the Cortex, dialing Lyla's number. Thankfully, Lyla answered on the third ring.

"Tala? What's wrong?" Lyla answered, concern in her voice.

"Let's say on of your Task Force X people gets out, how do you get the bomb out of their head?" Tala asked bluntly, annoyed.

"We don't, they're implanted in their spines, why?"

"I have a friend here, whose father is essentially holding them hostage by implanting a thermite bomb in their head to get her brother to work a job with him," Tala explained. "I need to get this thing out of her so Barry and I can stop the job from going down."

"Just, don't use magnets, and don't let it touch oxygen, if it's truly implanted in her neck, it's concentrated, and it'll go off," Lyla said. Tala groaned and thanked Lyla, ending the call and walking back into the cortex, where Barry was holding a magnet to Lisa's neck.

"The micro-bomb casing must be made of some kind of a ferromagnetic material," Barry said to Caitlin.

"Once you hold it steady with the magnet, I can surgically excise it," Caitlin said.

"Put the magnet down!" Tala shouted, staring at them with wide eyes, panic written in her body language. "This is a really concentrated bomb. It's gonna combust if it's exposed to a magnetic friction and an oxidant."

Barry and Caitlin took a step back, looking sheepish and worried. Lisa looked between the abashed superhero and doctor, before looking at Cisco.

"What is she talking about?" Lisa asked.

"Air," Barry replied. "Uh, the, the bomb will explode if it comes in contact with air."

"Don't worry, Lisa. We're gonna find another way to get it out," Cisco promised. Tala nodded.

"And then, I'm gonna put an arrow in your father's eye," Tala said cheerfully, her eyes flashing blue. "Scientific minds, can we confer, please?"

"What if the Flash speed-extracts it?" Caitlin asked. Tala and Cisco shook their heads.

"No, it's too risky. I'm gonna find a way to get it out, I just need a little time," Cisco said, wringing his hands nervously.

"Well, we need to keep track of Lewis, until you figure out how to disarm the bomb," Barry said.

"I wish we knew what he was gonna steal next. And when," Caitlin said wistfully.

"I can go, I still have the armor I used when I helped them pull a job the last time," Tala offered, reaching her hand out and pulling the dark armor into existence. "Lewis might recognize me from news reports."

"No, I need you here, just in case things go bad," Cisco said, grabbing Tala's arm. She could feel his panic and worry over Lisa's condition. It mimicked her own.

"Maybe I can get them to tell me," Barry said. Tala looked at him in bemusement. "Their tech guy is dead, so I'm betting they're gonna need a new one. I'm saying I'm gonna infiltrate Lewis' crew."

"You're gonna pretend to be a criminal?" Caitlin and Tala asked, looking at Barry. The speedster shrugged.

"How hard can it be?" Barry asked. Tala dropped her head into her hands, groaning slightly. He ran off before anyone could answer.

"Cisco, go magic up a solution to this thing before Lewis gets trigger happy. I'm gonna go look at Lisa's neck and see if I can't figure out a 3D model to help us out," Tala said, walking back into the cortex and pulling a chair next to Lisa. "I'm gonna take a look at you here, see what we're working with, alright? Cisco and the Flash are doing what they can to make sure Lewis can't mess up that pretty face of yours."

"I thought you hated me," Lisa said, tilting her head to Tala felt around her neck gently. "Last time we worked together you were dragged out of the room by that detective."

"I didn't like the way Cisco feels about you," Tala said, feeling for the vibrations of the explosive. "But as long as he doesn't hate me, I'm happy with it. I just want him to smile, he deserves that much at least."

"Tala, I'm scared," Lisa said, turning to look at the Metahuman.

"I know. But I won't let anything happen to you, Lisa. Your brother would be heart broken, and that's not something I can allow. I care for him a lot," Tala said, smiling gently. "Besides, you're not that bad."

"I knew there was something going on between you and Lenny," Lisa said. "He just calls you a..."

"A what if. If I didn't have Cisco, maybe if Rip Hunter had grabbed me sooner, I'd have gone with them," Tala said.

"Who is Rip Hunter?" Lisa asked.

"An ass, and a hero, or he will be, one day," Tala said. She turned as Cisco walked over, holding up a really big gun.

"What are you going to do to me with that thing?" Lisa asked nervously.

"Operating pressure on this thing is over a thousand PSI," Cisco explained. "This will easily suck the micro-bomb out of your neck and into the barrel of this with one high-powered shot. There is one slight risk."

"Besides shooting a high-powered weapon directly against my neck?" Lisa asked.

"The gun does use compressed air," Cisco said sheepishly. Tala rolled her eyes, but smiled when she saw Lisa take Cisco's arm.

"I trust you, Cisco," She said, smiling up at the engineer. Tala pushed her powers around Lisa as best as she could, leaving a bare strip of skin for Cisco to extract the bomb. She flicked her wrist and covered Cisco too, just in case the bomb went off in the gun. Caitlin walked over to the desk, keeping her distance as to not distract them from their task.

"How do you feel?" Cisco asked Lisa.

"Like we should've put down some plastic," Lisa said glibly. Tala snorted, pushing her hands out, covering the room in her powers, making them visible to Lisa.

"That's not funny," Cisco said after laughing.

"Yeah, but I like it when you smile," Lisa said. Tala was torn between jealousy and happiness that someone else wanted her Kitten to smile too.

"Okay, ready?" Cisco asked. Lisa reached over and took Tala's hand, nodding slightly.

"Shoot me, Cisco," Lisa said, turning to stare straight ahead. Cisco lined up the shot, trying to keep his hands steady, just as the computers started beeping. Caitlin jumped and gasped, freaking out the three people sitting around the bomb.

"It's the Flash!" Caitlin stuttered.

"Cisco, how you doing with Lisa?" He asked.

"Uh, kinda in the middle of it right now, buddy," Cisco said irritably, glaring at the speakers in the ceiling.

"Alright, we need that bomb out. The heist is going down right now," Barry said.

"I'm on comms, I'll let you know when it's safe," Tala said, tapping the button on her choker that connected her to Barry. Cisco relined up his shot.

"Only place you're going is back to Iron Heights, Lewis," Barry said, his voice echoing around the room.

"Do you wanna bet?" Lewis asked.

"Do I wanna bet?" Barry asked.

"Do not bet! Give us a minute!" Tala muttered into the microphone, squeezing Lisa's hand reassuringly. "Stall, Sarie, you need to stall."

"Tell me this, what kind of man puts a bomb in his own daughter?" Barry asked Lewis.

"A very rich man," Lewis responded.

"I'm rich, I ain't putting bombs in people's heads," Tala scoffed, making Lisa smile and relax a little.

"Shoot him son," Lewis said to Len. "Kill him or you'll never see your sister alive."

"Do it, Cisco," Lisa ordered, tightening her grip on Tala's hands. He pulled the trigger.

"I got the bomb out!" Cisco shouted. Lisa and Tala slumped in their seats, as Caitlin jumped in the air in celebration.

"Sarie, we're clear," Tala said into her comms.

"Lisa's safe," Barry said to Leonard. Caitlin turned off the comms connection as Barry raced back into the Cortex, running into Tala's barrier, which she lowered with a sheepish grin.

"Lisa said we should put down some plastic. I improvised. Come on girl, let's get you checked over, make sure there's nothing else wrong with you."

"You, are not who I expected to see on that side of the glass," Leonard said, staring at the girl sitting opposite him.

"Expecting Barry perhaps? I know he was already here. That's why I waited a bit to come," Tala explained, grinning at the felon. "I have something for you, you should get it soon."

"You gonna get me out of here?" Leonard asked, looking at the assassin expectantly. "Or just drop a million in my commissary?"

"They don't let you have that much money. There is a few grand there though," Tala winked, smiling at his stunned expression. "And no, I'm not gonna get you out, though we will see each other over Hanukkah. And I might come by every once in awhile."

"Your pet getting too boring? Or just not good enough where it counts?" Snart asked, making Tala chuckle darkly.

"He's going to start focusing on this woman, Kendra, here soon," Tala said. Only her eyes betrayed the sadness she felt. "Leaves me free to explore different options."

"Well it will have to wait until I'm out of here," Snart said, gesturing to his handcuffs. "Conjugals are only for married couples, and they don't exist here at Iron Heights."

Tala grinned, showing all her teeth, the look in her eyes predatory. The guard standing behind Leonard took a step away, leaning out of her direct gaze in fear.

"Are you proposing to me, Lenny? I didn't know you cared so much," Tala giggled, watching the confusion and slight amount of worry flit across his normally expressionless face. "Don't worry about that my dearest Ice King, I've got everything under control."

Tala stood and turned, walking out of Iron Heights and heading back to Central City to meet back up with Cisco. Behind her, Leonard Snart watched the assassin with a small amount of wariness, wondering what she was planning and how she knew about it. He wondered why she never seemed afraid of him, and why she never cared about him knowing her identity. Leonard let the guard lead him back to his cell, and uncuff him. When he turned to face his bunk, he saw a small wrapped package sitting on his pillow.

Leonard cautiously pulled the brown paper away from whatever it was that was sitting there. It was a book, the cover of which was blue and there was no title. He cautiously opened the book, as if expecting it to explode on contact.

 _Something to keep you occupied until you get out of this box. See you soon, Cold._

Leonard leaned against the wall and turned to the first page.

"Michael Scofield sat in his chair while his Lawyer stood up in protest. He adjusted his suit jacket and watched idly while his Lawyer tried to convince the judge he was pleading innocent on the bank robbery charge. 'Your honor, I would like to plead no contest,' Scofield said, glancing up at the judge. It was the only way he was going to get his brother out of Death Row."

Tala sat on the roof, watching Cisco say goodbye to Lisa. She wasn't surprised when Lisa kissed Cisco, but Tala was surprised when she didn't feel jealous. She knew what the future held for her, and for Cisco. He would be hers. Tala smiled as Lisa rode off and Cisco stood there, smiling. She jumped off the short two-story building, landing behind Cisco.

"If you're done making out with the bad guys?" Tala asked, making Cisco flinch slightly and pull his knife out of his wrist holster and point it at Tala. She laughed as he relaxed and blushed. "Come on, Lady Killer, let's get back to the Labs. I think Jay is finished with the speed cannon."

"You're terrifying sometimes, you know that?" Cisco asked, following her to the car. Cody handed them each a stack of paperwork, causing them to frown as they drove back to the labs, coffee in hand.

They left the papers in the car, but took their coffee as they went down to the breach room, Tala's eyes instantly turning blue as they walked in the room. Cisco guided her over to Jay.

"Ta-da! The speed cannon!" Caitlin said as Barry and Martin walked in.

"Dude, this is dope," Tala said, patting Jay on the back.

"Wow, look at that," Cisco said, shedding his coat. "You actually built the thing."

"Mister Garrick, I am... I am quite impressed by what you've accomplished during my recent wellness hiatus." Martin said, looking at the thing in awe.

"I can still feel the energy, but it's definitely more stable, and still intoxicating," Tala said, looking toward the breach longingly. "Have you tested it out yet?"

"Not yet," Jay said. "Wanna do the honors?"

Cisco grinned and ran over to the table, grabbing a soda can.

"No, no, please. Now that I am back to optimal health, please, allow me," Martin said, causing Cisco to freeze. Martin grabbed the blood pressure monitor and threw it into the breach. Tala gasped at the rush of energy it gave off, causing her to sway as her eyes glowed a brighter blue.

"Excelsior!" Martin cheered.

"How did you stabilize it?" Barry asked.

"CFL quark matter," Jay said proudly.

"Of course! Negative energy density with positive surface pressure," Tala and Cisco said, looking at each other. "It's genius!"

"You created CFL quark matter?" Barry asked.

"It's something we perfected on my Earth, but actually, it was Tala. Her reaction to the breach got me wondering if her powers were control over the same thing, and it is," Jay explained.

"We always thought it was Dark Matter," Tala said, pulling a tendril into existence. "You're telling me the breaches are made of the same stuff I have control over?"

"Probably," Jay said. "I can show you all the process behind it if you want."

"You mean, sometime in the next few minutes?" Martin asked. Tala smiled sadly at Jay, before walking over to Cisco, standing far enough away from the breach to not get too drunk off it.

"Oh, yeah, I guess this is it, huh?" Jay said "Time for me to go back home."

"Right now? I mean, we still need your help with the breachers," Caitlin said.

"My first priority is Zoom," Jay said. "I need to find out what he's up to. How he stole my speed."

"But you can do that here," Caitlin tried. Tala smiled, thinking that her doctor had a crush on the Earth Two speedster. "And, you know, if you go back, then we can't get in touch with you when we need your help, or with Zoom, or whatever else."

"It would be nice to be able to pick your brain every once in awhile," Barry added, smiling at Jay. "Get some more speedster tips."

"And you think you know what this matter I control is, if we can figure out if you're right or not, I could learn more things about it," Tala said excitedly.

"Okay. Once we take care of Zoom, I'm going home," Jay said, causing Cait to smile.

"That's fair," Cait said.

"Good," Jay laughed. "'Cause I could use a shower and a shave, and some sunlight. I'll uh, see you all later."

Tala handed him her credit card as he walked past, before turning to face the Professor.

"So, Professor Stein, how are you feeling?" Cait asked.

"Well, uh, it appears that a little rest heals all maladies," Martin said, smiling genially around the room. Tala felt his energy shift as he started stuttering. She looked at him and noticed his eyes had turned white, like they did when he was Firestorm.

"Get back!" Tala shouted, pushing her powers around Martin, encasing him in a barrier. "Now, all of you!"

Martin burst into flames, before he started shaking. Tala thickened the barrier around her and stepped closer to him, taking his hand. She flinched backwards as his eyes turned black and his flames turned white, before they went out and Martin passed out again. Tala caught him just before he hit the floor.

"Professor Stein? Professor Stein, can you hear me?" Caitlin shouted, running over to them.

"What happened to him?" Barry asked, looking at Tala. "He, he went up like Firestorm, but the flame, why was it blue?"

"I don't know. This isn't good. We need to stabilize him fast," Caitlin said. "Tala can you bring him up to the medbay?"

Tala stood up, carrying Martin. She nodded, signaling for her and Barry to go on ahead of her and Cisco. She carried him up to the cortex, careful not to jar him as she walked.

"I'm suddenly glad I wore sneakers instead of heels," Tala said as they walked into the cortex. She laid Martin down on the bed and sat down next to him, holding his hand worriedly.

"Here, I made you some coffee," Cisco said, handing her a Star Labs mug. "Are you sure you don't wanna go home?"

"Cisco, you didn't feel his energy. It was comparable to when he and Ronnie went nuclear," Tala said standing and stretching. She frowned in confusion when her phone rang.

"Dad? What's up?" Tala asked, patching the call through comms. "Do I need to come to Nanda Parbat?"

"No, though you might want to consider returning to Star City to visit your sister and her friend Laurel," Malcolm Merlyn said.

"Why? Did Thea hurt Laurel in a bloodlust?" Tala asked, worried. The Lazarus Pit's bloodlusts were a frenzy where anyone was a foe, and no one could stop them until it was sated. She had gone into a few herself.

"Not quiet. Laurel and Thea came here, so Thea could control her bloodlust..."

"You just sent two assassins to her room at night for her to kill, didn't you?" Tala asked bluntly.

"Yes, but Laurel came to hold me accountable for my past actions, concerning Sara," Malcolm said. Tala stumbled and leaned heavily on Cisco, shaking. "She was revived using the Lazarus Pit."

Tala ended the call and instantly called Laurel, who picked up on the second ring.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Tala demanded, shouting at the ADA for Star City. "Were you even thinking? That isn't Sara anymore! It may look like her, but her soul is gone, it has moved onto another plane. The woman you now call your sister is a demon who will never be able to sate her bloodlust unless she kills the one who killed her. Do you understand that? Sara is going to be targeting Thea, and if she can't get at Thea, she will go for those that look like her."

"Tala, please, I couldn't just-"

"You should have! She was at peace, and now she is a crazed killer, Laurel! I loved her just as much as you did, and this pains me in ways her death did not," Tala's voice broke as tears started to fall. "I knew you would try and do this, but I thought you would've had more sense than to actually bring her back. If you thought Thea was bad with her bloodlust, imagine how bad Sara's will be when she has been dead for over a year. You better find a way to cure her of her bloodlust before she goes on a killing spree that makes me look tame."

Tala ended the call and fell into a chair, shaking and crying, barely able to breathe.

"What happened?" Cisco asked, kneeling down to face Tala.

"Laurel brought Sara back to life, using the Lazarus Pit. It was stupid and selfish, and now there is a soulless Sara Lance running around Star City," Tala hiccoughed. "Maybe we should just go home. I need today to be over."

Cisco helped her stand up and lead her to the garage, where they took a Star Labs van home.


	30. 204 The Fury of Firestorm

Tala held Martin down as he seized again, alight with blue fire. Barry was trying to help her keep him in place, but even with her powers it was difficult.

"Hold him steady!" Cisco shouted, trying to place his tech on Martin's chest.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Tala growled, her eyes flashing blue. Ever since hearing about Sara, her temper had been close to the surface.

"Cisco, we're losing him!" Caitlin yelled, looking at the Professor's vitals on her tablet. He finally locked the device in place.

"Got it!" He shouted, diving for the computer behind him. Tala sighed and let Barry pick her up and set her back on the floor. She breathed a sigh of relief as Martin stopped seizing, and his fire went out. "Oh, Dios mio. Thank God."

"He's getting worse," Barry said, looking worriedly at Tala.

"Look, I did what I could to re-engineer Tala and Doctor Wells' original stabilizer to quell the reaction but I don't know what they used as a power source," Cisco said. "The best I could find was the one from his wheelchair."

"Why didn't you just ask me?" Tala asked, looking at Cisco.

"You were dealing with your father and your sister. This will work, for now," Cisco said. "But, what did you use?"

"I took the tachyons from Eobard. Some of them anyway," Tala said, shrugging. The team fell quiet for a moment, remembering the considered betrayal. Caitlin was the first to shake it off, her loyalty to her patient coming before her hurt feelings. They had long gotten past it.

"And how long will this last?" Caitlin asked.

"Well, that's the problem is we had already used up most of its energy, trying to dampen the Metas' powers during our little rogue air trip with Weather Wizard and company," Cisco explained, walking into the cortex. "I think we got a few days, tops."

"And he's stuck in bed?" Barry asked.

"Yeah. When he wakes up, Cisco's gonna transfer the stabilizer to this device, give him a power cane. Get him moving," Tala said. "I'm going to try and find some tachyons that aren't in the possession of Tina, see if I can't make a longer lasting stabilizer."

"We got to figure out a way to save him," Barry said, shaking his head.

"I think I might know how to do that," Caitlin said. "When the particle accelerator exploded, the dark matter that collided with Professor Stein fused with the Firestorm matrix and altered the normal molecular processes that occurs within his body. Those highly-reactive molecules needed something to bond with in order to stabilize."

"And that's where Ronnie came in," Cisco said.

"Yes, and now that Ronnie is no longer a part of Professor Stein..."

"Those molecules don't have anything to bond to," Barry concluded.

"Martin needs another half, so to speak. Another person to bond with," Tala smiled, excited to properly meet the other half of Firestorm. "And the longer he goes without merging, the more unstable he becomes."

"Alright, so what do we do?" Cisco asked.

"Find another participant," Caitlin said, looking between Tala and Cisco.

"Okay, cool. So how do we do that?" Tala asked. "Are we just gonna make a Tinder app for potential Metahumans?"

"'Cause I'm pretty sure merging with Stein and randomly bursting into flames sounds like the biggest swipe-left of all time," Cisco finished.

"Even if we could find someone willing, Stein can't merge with whoever he wants," Barry reasoned.

"No, he can't. But I have done some research, and I found two potential candidates that might be compatible with him," Caitlin said walking over to the computers. "They both were affected by the dark matter and they were both admitted to the hospital showing symptoms of gene rearrangement mutation. And they both share the same blood type as Professor Stein and Ronnie."

"Alright. This is more than organ donation, we'll need more than tissue typing to see if their bodies are compatible," Barry said.

"If I can isolate the genetic locus of the two candidates and cross-reference it with the mutations in Professor Stein, I might be able to find a match, and save his life," Caitlin said.

"What do you need to do that?" Barry asked.

"A blood sample would do," Caitlin said. Barry nodded and raced off. Tala started looking at the profiles of both men while he was gone, trying to see personality wise who would be a better match.

"Here we go, blood samples of both potential candidates," Barry said, handing a sample to Cisco, and one to Caitlin.

"Damn! That was fast even for you," Cisco said.

"You didn't ask permission, did you?" Tala asked, looking up from her tablet.

"I may have skipped that part, yeah," Barry said. Caitlin took the sample from Cisco and started toward her lab.

"Let's see if we can't find a match," She said. Tala looked up from her tablet at the bioengineer.

"My money's on Mister Jackson, personality wise. We don't need two geniuses in the same body," Tala commented, before switching to reading company emails. She pushed memories out of her mind. She was trying to forget about Rip Hunter.

Tala sat up suddenly, looking around in confusion.

"Did you really let me fall asleep?" Tala asked, looking around for Cisco. He wasn't in the room, and neither was Caitlin. Tala shook her head and stood up, rubbing her face. She walked over to Martin, just as he began to stir.

"Hey, easy there, Grey. Easy now," Tala said, helping him into a sitting position. "We figured out what was wrong, thankfully, now we just have to actually do it."

"Did you call me Grey?" Martin asked. "And what is this thing on my chest?"

"A stabilizer, speaking of, hang on," Tala tapped the switch on her choker, bringing up her comms. "Cisco, love, Martin is awake."

"Okay, I'll be right up, don't let him get out of bed," Cisco responded.

"I know what to do," Tala said, ending the conversation. "And yes, I did. Sorry about that, it'll make sense later. Spoilers, I'm afraid."

Martin looked at her, not understanding what was going on. Tala pulled over a stool and waited for Cisco to return to the cortex.

"What is going on?" Martin asked as Cisco pulled the stabilizer off the Professor's chest and started attaching it to a walking stick. Tala helped him get out of bed and use it to walk into the cortex.

"You aren't fully stable. Before, when you would merge with Ronnie, it kept you alive, but now since he is gone, you two can't merge," Tala explained. "If you don't merge regularly, you could potentially go into a nuclear meltdown."

"Barry's on his way," Cisco interjected, putting his phone back in his pocket and pulled the screwdriver out of his mouth.

"Well, I must admit, I never imagined the Sphinx's riddle about a man requiring three legs would ever apply to me, but if this device keeps me mobile, then I will gratefully oblige," Martin said, as Barry came running in. Tala stepped back and let Martin stand on his own.

"Well, hopefully you won't need it for much longer," Caitlin said, smiling at them all. "There was no agglutination in the blood samples, and cross-matching was negative for both. And it appears that the dark matter from the Particle Accelerator explosion mutated their genes in a very similar way it did do yours. I think they're both potential matches."

"So, who do we go with?" Barry asked.

"I like Jefferson Jackson. He's young and fit; very much like Ronnie was, which would give Firestorm an advantage. He is also a mechanic so that aspect would be similar as well," Tala said, dropping into a chair. "I think we should reach out to him."

"My first choice is Henry Hewitt," Caitlin said, frowning slightly at Tala's opinion. "He graduated summa cum laude from Hudson University with a double major in Applied Physics and Bioengineering."

"A Hudson boy. I like him already," Martin agreed, causing Tala to frown.

"Tala, that's twice you've mentioned liking Jefferson Jackson, was it? What else do we know about him?" Barry asked. He started reading the gathered information off the monitor on the wall. "High school quarterback. Four point oh, student. He's definitely got the physical attributes. And it looks like more of his alleles match than Hewitt's. Doesn't that mean that he's more compatible?"

"On paper, perhaps. But Hewitt is a scientist," Caitlin defended. "Clearly, he's trying to make something of his life. I think he'd be open to something like this."

"I think we should meet with both of them before we make a decision," Barry said. Tala reached over and took a piece of the chocolate bar Cisco was holding, smiling up at him as he frowned at her.

"That is an excellent idea," Martin agreed.

"I'll see if I can get Hewitt here," Caitlin said, smiling.

"Alright. In the meantime, we'll go meet with Jefferson Jackson," Barry said, indicating himself and Martin.

"And we'll try and come up with something else to keep you stable," Cisco said, pulling Tala's chair toward his workstation. She let him drag her along, grinning gently. She frowned when she felt a jagged energy that wasn't Jay's. It felt rough, but also almost familiar. She shrugged it off once they got to the room.

"If we could recreate the original splicer like what Ronnie and Martin wore, then we could use that," Tala mused, standing up and grabbing her roll of leftover neoprene.

"But you said you used Tachyons to power the last one," Cisco said, catching it as she tossed the fabric to him. "We don't have any left, do we?"

"No, but I had enough time to study them. We don't need to power the splicer; Firestorm will generate enough nuclear power to do that. We just need to give it a brief jump so it'll have a charge to start the process," Tala explained, sketching out a circuit board for the new device. "And we can use Martin's new accessory to give it enough of a charge to work."

"You are a genius, you know that?" Cisco asked, looking at the assassin. Tala just smiled in response and started working, passing things to Cisco as he started working on the neoprene connector strips.

An hour later, the two engineers were finished, and Tala held up the final product. She set it on her chair and pushed it back up to the Cortex, just as Caitlin walked in with Henry Hewitt. Tala smiled at her friend and the man as Caitlin finished up her explanation as Henry was looking at the Flash suit.

"I've always thought my destiny was for greater things," Henry said, chuckling. Tala felt his energy wash over her and bit down on her tongue, not liking how he felt. She didn't trust him. "And people, of course."

"Well, when it's all said and done, flying will be the least impressive of your new abilities," Caitlin said, smiling. Tala wondered why she was pushing so hard for Henry instead of Jax.

"Man finally achieves the promise of the atomic age," Henry said. Barry and Martin entered.

"Caitlin? What's going on?" Barry asked, wary.

"Hi! I'm glad you're back," Caitlin cheered. "This is Doctor Henry Hewitt. This is Barry Allen and Professor Martin Stein."

Tala raised her eyebrows as Henry walked past Barry and his extended hand and directed himself to Martin.

"How do you do?" The first half of Firestorm greeted warmly.

"The illustrious Martin Stein," Henry greeted. "I've read all your papers back at Hudson, especially on transmutation. Fascinating. You're a legend."

Tala smiled at the word, which would eventually describe the man perfectly, but no one knew just yet. _Four more months, then they become Legends._ Tala thought to herself.

"Oh, please. You're overestimating my contribution to the field. I appreciate..." Tala tuned out Martin as Barry walked over and Caitlin started talking.

"Isn't he great?" She asked Barry excitedly. Tala faked a smile to the speedster, gritting her teeth.

"Yeah. He's got an ego the size of Texas, but, yeah, he's alright," Cisco said. Tala nodded in agreement.

"Barry, where's Jax?" Tala asked, wondering why he didn't come.

"We just need more time," Barry said. Tala tilted her head, wondering what he meant.

"We don't have more time," Cisco said. "We don't have access to Tachyons, not even Merlyn Industries does, and Tina won't give us any. We couldn't find another power source for the cane."

"Okay. Then let's do the merge. Hewitt's in," Caitlin said.

"What do you mean? You told him the details of the Firestorm Matrix?" Barry asked. Even Tala was growing concerned about this.

"Absolutely. Becoming Firestorm is a huge life change," Caitlin said. "He needs to know what he's getting himself into."

"What if they're not compatible?" Tala asked, wondering why Jax was the other half if Hewitt was here first. Caitlin didn't answer as Martin's voice got slightly louder, drowning out their conversation.

"If I remember correctly, vector, variance, hypotenuse..."

"Proton, neutron, Go HU!" Henry completed the Hudson University cheer.

"Awh, look at that, that's so cute. We'll have two Professor Steins if this works," Cisco said, an obviously fake smile on his face.

"It's gonna work," Caitlin determined.

"Yeah?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala with concern in his face.

"Okay," Barry said, shrugging his shoulder. Tala shook her head but rolled her shoulders back, grabbing the splicer and walking over to the Doctor and the Professor.

"Alright. Henry,"

"Doctor Hewitt," He corrected. Tala gave him a polite smile.

"Henry, when I put this splicer on your chest, you're gonna feel a rush. That's a molecular primer being released into your body," Tala explained. "Then, you can make physical contact with Martin, and hopefully the Firestorm Matrix will take over. I'll make sure you don't accidentally burn down my building."

"Easy enough," Henry said, a small smirk on his lips.

"Ready?" Caitlin asked Martin.

"No time like the present," He said, handing over the cane. "Thank you, my dear."

"Alright," Tala said, attaching the splicer to Henry's chest. She felt the energy from the primer rush to meet Henry's energy. It didn't mix, but instead coated his energy, like a cheap lotion. Tala frowned, realizing that Henry wasn't compatible. She sighed and pushed her powers out, encasing the two Hudson boys in a visible blue bubble incase they went nuclear.

Henry and Martin held up their hands and gently made contact. Tala was surprised when there was in fact some combustion, the splicer absorbed a small amount of the energy, but the flames fizzled out and they didn't merge.

"Try again," Martin said, seeing the frozen look on Caitlin's face. They touched hands again, but this time there was no fire, and definitely no merge. "This is unexpected."

"Something's supposed to be happening, right?" Henry asked. "Why isn't it working?"

"You're a match to become Firestorm, but the primer didn't like your energy. I didn't feel it blend, the splicer just sort of... Coated your energy in the primer," Tala said, shrugging. "I didn't even think it was possible to do that."

"Well, looks like you two aren't compatible after all," Cisco said, moving forward and pushing through the barrier Tala had set to remove the splicer. Tala waved her hand and the barrier dissipated.

"So all this was for nothing," Henry said, his voice full of disappointment.

"Believe me, no one is more disappointed than I am," Martin said, taking the cane back from Caitlin.

"Yeah, don't be so sure about that," Henry said, his disappointment shifting to anger. "Next time, try to get your act together before you get someone's hopes up."

Tala glared at him as he left the building. She could still feel the primer wrapped around his cells, and she hoped it wouldn't cause them any trouble.

"Tomorrow, I'll go talk to Jax, see if I can't convince him to give the merge a try," Tala said, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

Tala walked out of the kitchen in search of her folder for the upcoming Metahuman meeting she was going to have with Mayor Bellows, when her phone rang. She pushed it through comms.

"Merlyn," She greeted, smiling in triumph when she found the folder.

"Tala, it's Joe. Tina McGee just called in a break in in her Applied Sciences division," Detective Joe West said. "She's asked for you to be there as well. Can you meet me and Spivot at Mercury Labs?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Tala ended the call. "Cisco! I've got to run to Mercury labs, Tina's in a spot. I'll meet you at Star Labs."

Tala sighed and ran to the garage, kicking her bike to life as she pulled on her helmet. She sped to Mercury Labs, meeting Joe and Patty in the parking lot right as they arrived. They entered the building and Tala lead the way up to the applied sciences division.

"Detective West, thank you for coming," Tina greeted when she saw them. "Tala, thank you."

"Doctor McGee, this is my new partner, Detective Spivot," Joe introduced Patty as Tina led them to where the break in occurred.

"It's nice to meet you," Patty said.

"I was saddened by Detective Thawne's passing," Tina said sincerely. "Please extend my condolences to your daughter."

"Thank you," Joe replied. "On the phone, you mentioned this was a sensitive matter, that you only wanted us and Tala?"

"It is, and I called you directly because I've always appreciated your discretion in the past," Tina said. Tala saw Patty start investigating behind them.

"Can you tell us what was stolen? No one was hurt, were they?" Tala asked, taking Tina's arm gently.

"No, no one was hurt. And it's not so much what was stolen but who stole it," Tina said. Tala frowned, not understanding. "The person who broke into my facility last night was Harrison Wells."

Tala frowned, looking at Joe, who had a similar expression on his face. Patty looked confused.

"Harrison Wells is dead," Patty said.

"I seem to recall the circumstances around his passing were a bit inconclusive," Tina said, looking to Tala and Joe. "Is there any possibility he could be alive?"

"Only if you believe in the theory of the Multiverse," Tala said, hoping she was wrong. "Other than that, no, Harrison Wells is dead."

"I knew the man for over twenty years. I know who I saw," Tina said. "The only thing distinctively different was, he's walking again. Like I said, I trust your discretion. You have full access to the facility. Thank you again, Detective."

"First a shark-man, now a dead man walking," Patty said. Tala mouthed the phrase shark-man to Joe in confusion. "We need to call Barry, get him in here first."

"No. Barry can't hear about any of this," Tala said, looking determinedly at Joe, who nodded in agreement.

"What? Why?" Patty asked.

"Bear's already got a lot on his plate. He's got a friend who's sick who needs his help," Tala explained, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "And Harrison Wells is the man who murdered his mother. Once he hears that..."

"Is he okay?" Patty asked.

"He's fine, but not a word to him, or anyone other than us two, okay?" Joe asked. Patty nodded her agreement.

"I've got to get back, I need to help Cisco and Martin. Call me if we need anything for this," Tala said, walking out of the building, rolling her shoulders.

"That's my chair Barry Allen," Tala called, causing him to jump. Tala laughed as the speedster nearly fell to the floor. "I needed that laugh, it's been a long day and it's not even noon. Have you heard anything from Jax?"

"Yeah, he just called actually, and he's on his way here," Barry said, causing Tala to smile.

"Praise Allah, I needed some good news," Tala said, sinking into her chair that Barry had just evacuated.

"How bad was that phone call?" Cisco asked, passing Tala a cup of coffee.

"Literally like, I'd rather the world end right now, than have to deal with that issue," Tala complained. "Literally, I'd rather watch the world implode."

"That bad huh?" Cisco took Tala's hand and squeezed it sympathetically, just as Jax walked into the cortex.

"I'm really glad you decided to come," Barry said, reaching out to shake Jax's hand. Martin and Caitlin looked on from the other side of the room.

"I thought Star Labs had to shut down," Jax said, looking between Tala and Barry.

"I bought out the company. So I can do what I want to out of it, meaning sleeping, working out, occasionally getting electrocuted," Tala said, thinking back to when Farooq attacked the labs. "Oh, that bastard, I just realized something. It's not important to this though, just something I remembered from nearly a year ago."

Tala walked over to her workstation in the corner and wrote Al Rothstein on a sticky note, sticking it to the center of her screen.

"Woah, what kind of treadmill is that?" Jax asked, looking at the one Cisco modified for the Flash.

"Cosmic," Cisco said, grabbing the Splicer from Tala's desk.

"Cool. So, let's get started," Jax said, walking to the center of the room. "You got some kind of Billion-Dollar-Man technology that's gonna fix my knee?"

Tala looked at Barry, wondering what the hell they had told him. Caitlin shot the speedster an accusatory look too.

"Actually, Jax, this isn't about fixing your knee," Barry said sheepishly.

"What are you talking about?" Jax asked.

"When the Particle Accelerator exploded, the energy wave that collided with you is known as dark matter," Martin started explaining while Tala glared at Barry.

"And it didn't just hurt your knee," Caitlin added.

"It changed the molecular structure of your body, like it did mine, and Tala's," Martin said as Tala walked over, holding her hand out and letting her powers flow through her. Her eyes turned blue and her nails elongated and sharpened. Blue tendrils of matter flowed around the room; Cisco smiled as one of them pushed his hair around.

"Woah, woah, woah, hold on Grey," Jax said, looking around at the floating blue wisps. "So, you're saying I'm like one of those Metahumans I keep hearing about on the news?"

"Yes, I am. Please, call me Professor," Martin said, looking at Tala, who had called him Grey yesterday. He wondered idly how she knew about it.

"I believe you have capabilities," Tala said, her voice distorted. "Powerful capabilities."

"What kind of capabilities?" Jax asked. Tala pushed her powers away, smiling at Jax.

"The same as Professor Stein," Caitlin said, gesturing toward the Professor. "The ability for your body to process fission and fusion."

"And you can harness excess energy and turn it into these massive nuclear blasts," Cisco added excitedly. "And you can fly, there's also that."

"In English, you know Johnny Flame from Fantastic Four? You're basically half of him, with the other half being Martin here," Tala translated.

"So you're saying he can do all this?" Jax asked, pointing to Martin.

"Only during times of convergence with a willing partner," Martin said.

"Convergence? You and me?" Jax asked. Everyone around the room was nodding. "No, this is crazy."

"Jax, this is your chance to right the wrong that was done to you," Barry said.

"Yeah. Sorry, you got the wrong guy," Jax said.

"No, you are the right guy, Jax, I know it. And in January, you're going to tell me that I was right," Tala said, looking at him with a subtle smile on her face. "I won't have a damn clue what you're talking about, but you will."

"I don't want nothing to do with this," Jax said, shaking his head.

"Wait a second. We are giving you the chance to be a superhero, and you're going to say no that quickly?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, not my kind of thing," Jax said.

"If the man isn't willing to participate..." Martin tried to brush it off.

"Look, I saw your test scores, Jax. Your grades were good enough to get into college, but you didn't go," Caitlin said. Tala froze, wondering where she was going with this. "Why? Is this the type of guy you are? One setback and you fold? Well then, maybe you're not the guy for us anyway."

"Well, maybe I'm not," Jax said, turning to storm out. Tala followed him, catching him at the elevator.

"Jax," Tala called, causing him to turn around. "Look, I'm sorry about Caitlin, I have never seen her like this before."

"It's whatever, man," Jax said, pressing the call button again. "But she was wrong. Football was my ticket to college. It's just me and my mom, my dad died in combat, a few days after I was born. I needed the scholarship to afford it."

"And when the explosion tore your ACL, you couldn't keep the full ride," Tala finished. She followed the mechanic into the elevator. "Well, here's something for you. You're a good kid, Jax. And while I was hoping you'd say yes, I'm hoping next time I need someone to take a look at my bike, I can call you."

"That was your Ducati in the garage?" Jax asked. "Blue paint, blue hair, not all that hard to put together."

"Yeah, it's mine. And listen, if you decide you want to go to college, call me, I can cover it," Tala said, handing Jax her business card.

"You don't have to do that," Jax said, pocketing the card. "I like my job."

"I know, but everyone deserves a chance, right? Just, keep it in mind. The future is waiting for a new kind of legend. And maybe that legend will be you, Jefferson Jackson," Tala said as he stepped out of the elevator. Tala went back to the cortex and sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Everything okay?" Cisco asked as Tala dropped into her chair. The assassin rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Talk to me."

"Something is going to happen in January, and I know what it is, but the steps to getting there are somewhat intricate," Tala said. "I feel like I'm trying to do a foxtrot without knowing the steps."

"What's going to happen in January? And how could you possibly know about it?" Cisco asked, turning to face her. "Don't tell me time travel is a power you got."

"No, not me. Do you remember in July after I woke up from the coma, I kinda vanished for about three days?" Tala waited until Cisco nodded, before continuing. "A man named Rip Hunter showed up at work and borrowed me. He brought me to January of next year on the Waverider. I met a group of people called the Legends, pretentious, but not entirely inaccurate. I learned a lot of things that need to happen, that would happen, and after Sara's resurrection, I know that it's all going to happen. I just don't know how."

"And it has something to do with Jax as Firestorm? And I'm assuming why you keep getting seen at Saints and Sinners?" Cisco asked. Tala nodded, biting on her thumb. "And because it has something to do with time travel you can't tell me?"

"The base of it is essentially that a villain that we face as Team Flash comes back to terrorize the future. Rip Hunter tried to form a group known as the Legends to defeat him again. I was recruited with Sara, Firestorm and a few others that I won't mention yet," Tala said, glancing around the room. "When I heard about Sara's death, I expected the memories to change with the aftershocks of the timeline shifting. It never did."

"Were you gone longer than three days? Did you join the team?" Cisco asked. Tala looked at him, tucking some of his hair behind his ear.

"No. I made Rip bring me back. I couldn't leave you," Tala smiled. "Never will. Even if it's not me you want to be with."

"Hey Tala," Caitlin called, walking into the Cortex. "What was that note you made for yourself earlier?"

Tala looked up at Caitlin in surprise before leaping from her chair, over the desk and sprinted over to her computer, where there was a heather blue sticky note.

"Al Rothstein," Tala read the Arabic note as she pulled it off the monitor.

"Atom Smasher?" Caitlin and Cisco asked together.

"Yep! Remember way back last year when Farooq Gibran invaded Star Labs? Eobard said he remembered the names of everyone that died the night of the explosion. Do you remember the names he listed off?" Caitlin and Cisco both shook their heads in the negative. "Jake Davenport. Darya Kim. Ralph Dibney, Al Rothstein, Grant Emerson, Will Everett, Bea De Costa. Ronnie Raymond. That is the list of names, he listed Rothstein as a death from the explosion, despite him being alive up until a month ago."

"That is really weird, how didn't we catch that earlier?" Cait asked, causing Tala to shrug. "Any other inconsistencies you noticed?"

"Eobard saw Jay's helmet and wanted out of here like his ass was on fire," Tala said, remembering the night of the Singularity. "I think at some point our Earth Two Flash had a run in with the Reverse-Flash from our Earth."

"Multiverse, ugh. Why does normal keep changing?" Cisco asked. Tala shook her head, shrugging again.

Tala rubbed sleep out of her eyes as she crawled out of her bed, looking at the still sleeping Cisco on the other side with his hair taking over most of his pillow in a tangled, half curly mess. She shook her head, sending her own case of bed head flying around her face, landing a fading blue strip in her hair. Tala pouted as she walked to the bathroom to find her hair dye before making a cup of coffee while the dye set. Cisco shuffled down the stairs, tying his hair back as he did, walking like a zombie.

"Did you not notice your guest?" Cisco asked, pointing to the girl sitting on the armchair. Tala turned and looked, nearly dropping her coffee.

"Talibah?! What are you doing here? I thought you were with Nyssa?" Tala asked in rapid Arabic.

"Ra's al Ghul has declared that she shall remain in a cell for her transgression," Talibah said, causing Tala to frown in confusion. "She has destroyed the Lazarus pit after Ra's al Ghul's decision to raise Ta-er al-Sahfer from the grave."

Tala leaned heavily on the table, her mouth opening and closing to try and find the correct terms, but unable to do so. She looked from Cisco back to the other assassin in the room, trying to understand.

"Nyssa destroyed the Lazarus pit?" Cisco asked, blinking rapidly. "Tala, how much do you and Emma have stored away?"

"Not enough for two people to live off of," Tala said, sinking into the chair. "Is there a plan in place to get her out?"

"Yes, but it might involve your father's death," Talibah said. Tala nodded as if that was something she had expected to hear.

"Challenging him for his ring and reign," Tala said, and the other woman nodded. Tala frowned and turned sharply to Cisco. "You understand Arabic?"

"I've picked up a few things here and there," Cisco said, walking around the two assassins to grab the coffee pot. "Talibah, would you like a cup? I'll probably never be able to write it, but I can understand and say a few words here and there. I was hoping to be more fluent for your birthday in April."

Talibah accepted the cup of coffee the amused engineer pressed into her hands. He turned and walked back up to the stairs, running his fingers through his hair.

"Tala, you need to rinse the dye out of your hair," Cisco called over his shoulder before he entered his bedroom.

"He's right, I do have to go. Tell Nyssa I will defy my father for her, as long as she honors the agreement we all came to before he was Ra's al Ghul," Tala said, dropping her empty cup in the sink. "Let yourself out when you've finished. It was wonderful to see you again."

Tala walked upstairs and quickly removed her remaining clothes and followed Cisco into the shower, grinning happily as the water ran blue with dye.

"You know that stuff smells awful, right?" Cisco asked, gently massaging conditioner into her hair. "I should know, I applied it for you for four months."

"I know you did. I thanked you profusely for it," Tala hummed, leaning back against her engineer. "I hope Martin is okay."

"He will be. Jax will come around, though it would help if Caitlin apologized for her temper," Cisco said. Tala nodded in agreement.

"I get that she's concerned for Martin, but like, abusing the kid isn't going to do anything to sway him over to the cause," Tala paused, thinking for a moment. "And not everyone wants to be a superhero. I didn't, I just wanted to help Oliver. After that it became a habit."

Cisco pulled Tala out of the shower, handing her a towel before walking to the bedroom, drying his hair. The assassin shook her hair out like a dog, sending water flying in every direction. Cisco laughed at her when she almost lost her footing on the slippery tile.

Tala entered the cortex, rolling her eyes and muttering about paranoid shareholders and panicky board members. She looked up to see the news on the monitors.

"What's being described as a 'spontaneous energy malfunction' erupted last night at Eikmeier Technologies. Wanted for questioning is scientist, Henry Hewitt," The newscaster was saying just before Caitlin turned off the feed.

"Hewitt's dormant abilities must have been triggered when we attempted the merger," Caitlin said.

"This could be catastrophic," Tala groaned, shaking her head. "And not only because half my company thinks we're the next target. If his powers are anything like Martin's, he will require grounding or else..."

"Yeah, he's gonna pop his top. Do they seriously think he's coming after Merlyn Industries?" Tala nodded, holding her tablet out to him to read the email. He rolled his eyes and deleted it. "That's just dumb. And Hewitt's got a long history of violence, according to his police record."

"Police record?" Barry echoed.

"I didn't find a police record," Caitlin defended, looking as confused as Barry.

"Yeah, of course not. It was sealed. But guess what?" Cisco asked, looking at Caitlin. "Ya boy hacked in and hold on, wait for it. One count battery, two counts aggravated assault. Court ordered anger management therapy."

"He seemed like such a nice guy," Caitlin said sadly. "He even knew your Hudson nerd song!"

Martin's energy spiked and Tala jumped over to him, pulling him close to her and wrapping her powers around them.

"Woah, you okay?" Cisco asked, moving over toward them quickly. When Martin didn't catch fire, Tala slowly stepped away, pulling her powers back with her. She nodded when she felt his energy relax.

"It appears Mister Hewitt's stability isn't the only one in question," Martin said, resting his hand on Tala's upper arm in reassurance. "I think I need to lie down."

"Yeah, I'll come with you," Cisco said, letting Martin lean on him. Tala watched them leave, before turning back to Cait and Barry.

"Professor Stein is getting worse," She said bluntly, looking at her team.

"And Hewitt's like this because of me," Caitlin complained. "And now, Jefferson Jackson will never come back because of what I said. I just didn't believe that he has what it takes."

"This isn't because you didn't believe in him," Barry said. Tala placed a supportive hand on Caitlin's shoulder. "Sometimes, great possibilities are right in front of us, and we don't see them because we choose not to. I think that we need to be open to exploring something new."

"I could've used that advice back in Starling. Star City, whatever it's called now," Tala said, leaning against Cait's chair. "After my dad 'died' I was in charge of the company."

"You didn't want it?" Barry asked. Tala scoffed.

"Of course not! Half the board wanted my brother to take over, but since he died in the quake, and as it said so in my father's will, it was my company," Tala said, thinking back to the first few months after the Undertaking. "Once the board got over the fact that I owned the company, they tried to fight me becoming the CEO. Then when that didn't work, they tried to get me to marry Hartley Rathaway to merge Rathaway Industries with mine. That didn't work for obvious reasons."

"What happened?" Caitlin asked. "How did you get it all to work?"

"Threatened to replace the board with people that would've been more cooperative. They got the message fairly quickly when I actually replaced two of the more obstructive members," Tala said, running her fingers through her hair. "Change is inevitable, just like taxes. We just have to accept them and deal with them before someone tries to stab us."

Tala shrugged and stood, before walking down to her gym to work off some stress.

Iris and Joe sat at the dinner table in the West house, each with a glass of bourbon in front of them.

"She's dying?" Iris asked as Joe took a sip of his drink. He nodded as he sat his glass down on the coaster in front of him.

"A few months left," Joe confirmed, causing Iris to shake her head in disbelief. Her drink was still untouched.

"I just don't think I can see her, Dad," Iris said, not knowing what to feel. First her mother had been dead since she was young, now she's alive and wanting to be a part of her life. And now she's dying. Iris wondered what choice was the right one in situations like this.

"And that's fine. But you and me need to be crystal clear about this, Iris," Joe said, looking at her. "If you want to have a relationship with Francine, it's okay with me. You don't have to protect me. I'm a grown man, and I've dealt with these feelings a long time ago."

Iris blinked at his phrasing, wondering why he thought she was trying to protect him. Iris wasn't trying to protect her father; she was trying to get a grip on her own feelings. She was trying to protect herself! She didn't even know if Francine was telling the truth!

"So, you... You just believe her?" Iris asked, trying to figure this out.

"She's done some bad things in her life, but she wouldn't lie about this," Joe said, sounding sure of himself. Iris tried not to scoff at his statement. Done some bad things? Yeah, like abandoning her husband and daughter for starters. For never reaching out to continue the list. And now, for injecting herself in Iris' life for selfish reasons.

"Dad, she shows up out of nowhere, and she only says that she's dying after I told her to stay away?" Iris asked. It sounded like a backup plan.

"Look, she didn't come to Central City to see me. She came because of you," Joe said. "I just wanted you to know everything so you can make the best decision for yourself. I mean, she is still your mother. Either way, whatever you decide, just know, I got your back."

Iris wanted to scream that it wasn't true, that he didn't have her back, and that he shouldn't have lied to her, but instead she smiled at her father gently, nodding.

"I know." It was a simple statement, that hid more than it told, but Iris didn't know what else to say. Joe took another drink while Iris stared out the window, wondering how her life would've been different with Francine in it.

Jax walked back into the garage, no longer noticing the smell of gasoline and motor oil. He reached over and clocked out, trying to take his mind off the group of weirdo's at Star Labs. When he rounded the corner to gather his things, he saw Caitlin Snow, the woman who yelled at him and disparaged him for not going to college. He sighed in annoyance.

"Let me guess. You don't got car troubles," He said, shaking his head.

"I came to apologize," She said. "I'm sorry for what I said."

"It's fine. Apology accepted," Jax said, grabbing a grease cloth to wipe the oil off his hands before he left.

"Look, we could really use your help to save Professor Stein," Caitlin said, following him as he started for the exit.

"That desperate, huh?" Jax asked. He frowned slightly, wondering what she meant by saving him. They hadn't mentioned that the first time around.

"Yes," Caitlin said. Jax turned to face her, pulling on his jacket. "My husband, Ronnie, he used to be Professor Stein's other half. He actually helped build the Particle Accelerator, and when it exploded, he was affected by it, too. Ironically, that's how he got the chance to show the world what he was truly capable of. And he died saving this city."

"Wait, he was the guy that flew into the black hole?" Jax asked, remembering the way that the Flash's lightning ran up the falling debris, and then the flames of someone else following. "That was him?"

"He was a hero. You can be one, too," Caitlin said. Jax sighed.

"I never wanted to be a hero," Jax said. "What I wanted was to go to college, and we couldn't afford it. Football was my way in until that got taken from me."

"I know," Caitlin said. She had done some more research into Jax before she drove to the garage. "Look, I know the Particle Accelerator took something from you, but it also gave you something in return. Something even more spectacular. The opportunity to be part of something bigger, to be part of a team that's working to protect people from losing what you lost. I believe you were meant to be a hero."

Jax turned a little, trying to figure out what to say in response to that, when he heard electricity crackling. He saw the lights behind Caitlin start flickering, and walked over, wondering what was happening.

"Hold on," He said, frowning as another man walked around the corner, coming from the back.

"I've been looking for you Doctor Snow," Hewitt said. Caitlin blinked rapidly, suddenly wishing she'd brought Tala, or Barry with her.

"Hey, look man, we're-" Jax was cut off as Hewitt raised a hand and blasted him back with a surge of energy. Caitlin watched as Hewitt started absorbing energy from the lights around him.

"You did this to me," Hewitt said, holding his hands out in a gesture. "But it's not what you promised! Is it? Is it?"

Jax shook his head to clear it from the jolt and looked around. He grabbed a piece of pipe next to him and threw it at Hewitt, knowing that he was the threat. It hit him perfectly on the back of his head and knocked him to the ground.

"Come on!" Caitlin shouted as she started running to her car. Jax followed and dove into the passenger seat.

"Where to?" He asked, wondering what happened to his normal life.

"Star Labs. If he's after me, I need Tala nearby," She said, pushing the car into reverse. As they sped off, Hewitt stood up and started siphoning more energy from the building.

Caitlin parked in the garage, before leading Jax up to the cortex. Cody, Tala's driver waved to them from his crossword puzzle. Barry met them in the cortex.

"Caitlin," Barry sighed, causing Cait to fall into Doctor mode.

"What's wrong?" She demanded as she tossed her purse on the floor near the door to her office.

Tala looked over at Cait, smiling at Jax before handing Cisco the device in her hands.

"Good, you're here. I've been trying to recharge this thing, but it ran out like, thirty minutes ago," Tala said, glaring at it.

"His temperature is a hundred forty two degrees and rising fast," Barry said anxiously.

"He's going into rapid oxidation, we need to find a coolant," Caitlin said, looking at Cisco.

"Yeah, I think it's too late for that," Cisco said. Tala looked pleadingly at Jax, who nodded, before turning to Caitlin and Barry.

"I'll do it," He said. They both turned to him. "I'll merge with him. You said this was a chance for me to be a part of something bigger than myself, to help people. That's what I want."

Tala stood up and grabbed the newest splicer, passing it to Cisco.

"You're sure?" Barry asked. "Once you merge, there's no going back on this."

"You said I could fly, right?" Jax asked Cisco and Tala. They both smiled, nodding.

"Damn right," They said.

"Okay. So what do I do?" Jax asked. Cisco walked around to the foot of Martin's bed, while Tala started covering the room and the people not part of Firestorm in her powers.

"Okay, well here's the abridged version," Cisco said as he lead Jax into the cortex, splicer in hand. Tala moved to shake Martin's shoulder.

"Martin, Martin," She said, trying to wake him up.

"Clarissa, five more minutes," He said, the fever making him slightly delirious.

"Martin, you need to get up, Jax is here," Tala said, pulling the man into a sitting position while Barry put balanced his glasses on his nose.

"What?"

"Jax is here," Barry repeated, helping guide him to Tala's side of the bed. Tala stood him up and waited for Barry to come around to help support him until they got to the cortex.

"This is it," Cisco said, holding up the splicer to Jax. He set the device on his chest and activated it, watching the neoprene strips latch onto Jax.

"You came back, Jefferson. Thank you," Martin said once he was standing next to Jax. Tala motioned for Cisco to pull Caitlin back behind the desk, just in case.

"Well, like my coach always said, 'Out of yourself and into the team.' So, how's this work?" Jax asked, turning to Cisco.

"Okay, all you gotta do is touch him," Cisco said.

"And then what happens?" Jax asked.

"You go all human torch and I make sure we don't get all crispy," Tala said, pushing the team back and throwing up a dome surrounding the two halves of Firestorm and herself. Jax leaned toward Martin, and they started merging before they even touched each other. When they felt stable, Tala lowered the barrier.

"Jax?" Caitlin asked. "Is Professor Stein?"

"How will I know?" Jax asked. He suddenly looked up and around, as if hearing another voice. "Oh, so I get Grey as my co-pilot. So when do we get to take this for a test spin?"

An alarm started beeping, causing Tala and Cisco to dive toward the computers.

"Uh, how about now?" Cisco asked, looking at the monitors. Tala gave a grin and pulled for her armor. Her eyes turned blue and her nails turned to claws. "It looks like Hewitt's recharging at Central City High School's football stadium."

"Wait. That was where I got hurt!" Jax said. Barry grabbed Tala and ran them outside, Jax following before starting to fly, chasing behind them. When Barry stopped running, Tala pulled her powers tighter, trying to protect the high school students running away from the psycho Metahuman. Barry grabbed the last two football players and ran them into the tunnel after Hewitt blocked their path.

"Cisco! Cut the power to the field, so he can't draw any more energy," Barry said over comms.

"I'm on it, stand by," Cisco's voice came through. "Booyaka!"

Tala snorted at his newest catchphrase, but watched as the power started shutting off around them. She pulled out her bow staves and twirled them, loosening her wrist muscles in preparation for a fight.

"Hewitt!" She shouted, drawing his attention to her. Tala briefly hoped that his blasts didn't hurt. "You need to stop! This is not who you are!"

Firestorm appeared next to her, hovering a few feet above the ground. Barry joined them, giving them three to one odds against the scientist.

"Stein? You chose him over me?" Hewitt asked as if it were a voluntary thing. "That's who I'm supposed to be! I deserve the Firestorm Matrix."

Tala thought he sounded like a spoiled brat, rather than a respected scientist. Hewitt blasted Firestorm backwards and Tala watched as they flipped over until Jax managed to regain control. Barry grabbed Tala and raced her over to where Firestorm landed on the bleachers.

"You okay?" Tala asked in concern.

"I was a quarterback. I know how to take a hit," Jax said. Tala scoffed.

"I'm an assassin, doesn't mean it don't hurt like a mother," Tala said. "Hey Kitten, cutting the power didn't work. It's like the more we anger him, the stronger he gets."

"That's it! It's like one of those, uh, controlled fusion devices," Caitlin said, snapping her fingers.

"A tokamak?" Cisco asked.

"Yes, exactly! And the more powerful they become, the more unstable they become. Guys, make him angry and he'll blow his fuse," Caitlin said. Tala grinned.

"I'm good at pissing people off. You should hear my Board," Tala said. She started stalking down the stairs as Barry turned to Jax.

"You up for a little game of 'catch me if you can'?" Barry asked.

"Let's go for it!" Jax said. Barry grabbed Tala and dropped her behind Tokamak before racing to the other side.

"Hey Henry!" Tala shouted, holstering her staves. He turned and fired a blast at her. Tala dove out of the way, rolling to her feet as Barry ran to the other side of him.

"Paging Doctor Hewitt!" Tokamak fired at him before Tala called out his name again. She didn't know why he was so annoyed by his given name, but since it was what they wanted, she didn't care.

"You are so not good at this!" Tala said, watching as he turned and fired a huge blast at her. She grinned, before throwing up a wall of her powers. Tala watched from inside the explosion. "Hey, Cisco, love, call down to Cody in the garage and have him make a note to have Merlyn Industries replace this field when we're done here."

"You need a hug Doctor?" Barry asked, avoiding the resulting blast.

"Come on, Hewitt! Give me your best shot!" Jax shouted. Tala watched as Henry and Jax both fired, the blasts cancelling each other out.

"Is that all you got, Hewitt?" Barry asked.

"Man, no wonder you didn't make the cut if that's how you fight," Jax added.

"I'm actually bored. I've fought new recruits with better skill than you," Tala scoffed, brushing her hands together. Hewitt growled and fired at her and Jax. Tala stood there and let her powers take the hit while Jax narrowly avoided the blast before punching Hewitt unconscious.

"Not bad for your first go at this," Barry said to Jax, who landed next to them.

"You should've seen his first go at it," Tala said, gesturing toward Barry. "And don't worry about the field. Merlyn Industries will replace it."

"Well, I had a great coach to help me through it," Jax said. "Isn't that right, Grey?"

"Welcome aboard, Firestorm," Tala and Barry said.

"Now, one of you drag him back, the other needs to carry me to Star Labs," Tala said, smiling at the boys. "Jax, Hewitt's not fireproof, so I guess that means I'm with you!"

Tala hopped on Jax's back, piggyback style and grinned as he took off, flying back to Star Labs. When they landed and Martin and Jax unmerged, Tala folded the Professor into a hug, glad that he wasn't going to explode.

"Thanks for the lift!" Tala said as Barry met them back in the cortex, after dropping Hewitt in the pipeline. "Right, I need to get a rush order on fixing that field. We need to stop destroying property, please."

"Sorry Tala," Barry pouted, smiling at the assassin.

"Get out of here you lot," Tala grinned, ruffling Barry's hair. "Get some sleep, tomorrow is gonna come fast. Cisco! Let's go home."

Tala grabbed the engineer and dragged him down to the garage where Cody was waiting for them.

Iris walked into Jitters, quickly finding Francine sitting at one of the high tops, holding a mug.

"Hi, thank you for coming," Francine said as Iris sat down. Iris idly wondered if she should've brought back up with her. Or at least told Tala or Caitlin that she was going to be doing this. "You have no idea what this means to me."

"My Dad told me you were sick," Iris stated. "You know, I wasn't sure that I could believe you, so I did some checking. Turns out you're telling the truth."

"I would never lie to you about something so big," Francine said. Iris swallowed the biting remark that sat on the tip of her tongue.

"Really?" She chose to say instead. "'Cause I was actually thinking that I could give you another chance after hearing that news. But you are still lying. Still keeping secrets. I am an investigative reporter, Francine. I uncover things that people want to keep hidden. Like having a son."

"Iris..." Francine tried to say, but Iris cut her off.

"He was born eight months after you left Central City," Iris scathed.

"Let me explain," Francine tried.

"Who's the father, Francine? Is it my dad? Do I have a brother?" Iris demanded. The look on Francine's face gave her the answer she didn't even want to hear. Iris thought she should've brought Barry, or Tala. No, not Tala, she would've tried to kill Francine by now. "Wait, you know what, I don't... I don't even want to know. I mean, I wouldn't be able to tell if you were telling the truth or if it was another one of your lies, anyway. I want you to leave. You stay away from me, and you stay away from my father. If he finds out that he might have a son that grew up without knowing him, it would crush him. Just... Leave us alone."

Iris stood up and left, not caring that her biological mother was calling out for her to wait. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration before taking a deep breath, calming herself down.

Tala pushed her glasses back up on her nose as she followed Cisco out of Martin and Clarissa's house.

"And how is Mister Hewitt?" Martin asked as they all paraded outside. Tala linked arms with Cisco, smiling gently.

"Seems like that last burst of energy has burnt him out," Caitlin said.

"Our Tokamak's gone dark," Cisco added, nudging Tala.

"Yeah, we're just gonna keep him safe and sound in the pipeline, till he decides to keep quiet about all this," Barry said. Tala frowned, wondering when that decision was made, and why she wasn't there for it.

"So, you're gonna meet up with Clarissa?" Joe asked Martin, who nodded.

"We're meeting in Pittsburgh in three days," Martin confirmed. Tala looked fondly at the two halves of Firestorm; she would miss them.

"Why Pittsburgh?" Jax asked.

"A colleague of mine was monumental in helping train Ronald and me," Martin said, leading everyone to remember the last time Firestorm left for Pittsburgh. Ronnie had threatened Tala into treating Cisco right. She smiled at the memory. "She's graciously offered to help the two of us as well."

"Well, how is she going to help us?" Jax wondered.

"Well, there were many aspects of our abilities that we never quite achieved. Hopefully now, we can fully realize that potential," Martin said, before turning to Caitlin. "My dearest Doctor Snow. Ronald may be lost to us, but he will never be forgotten."

Tala watched as Martin hugged Caitlin before walking over to her and Cisco to say his farewells.

"I went ahead and recalibrated the splicer, so the merging should be even smoother now," Cisco said to Martin.

"Thank you," Martin said graciously to both engineers. "If I may offer you a bit of parting advice? Cisco, I know you're scared, but this ability you have is a gift. Not a curse. It's natural to be apprehensive about the unknown. But look at Jefferson. He took a leap, and it changed his life for the better. The very thing that makes you different is what makes you special. Tell your friends."

Cisco pulled away from Tala to give Martin a hug, before Tala took his place, folding the Professor into a tight hug. She ran over to Jax, pulling him into her arms as Martin turned to the group.

"And now, I believe it's time to take this show on the road, or to the sky, if I'm to be literal," Martin said, walking over to Jax. Tala walked over to the group, draping an arm around Barry and Caitlin each as Jax attached the splicer to his chest. "Are you ready, Jefferson?"

Jax nodded and the two merged before they made contact again. Tala grinned at the compatibility of the two. She waved as Firestorm took off, flying upward before turning northward, aiming for Pennsylvania. Cisco tapped Tala's hand and she nodded, turning to the speedster and the detective.

"Bye guys, see you later!" Tala cheered, ruffling Barry's hair before turning with Cisco and Caitlin to climb into the Star Labs van, where Cody was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Boss, I'm very glad you don't burst into flames like Firestorm does," Cody said as Tala and Cisco relaxed in the back, letting Caitlin have the passenger's seat.

"Why's that? I've got great control over my powers," Tala said, smiling.

"I'm just imagining you at a board meeting, combusting when the board doesn't agree with you, or back when Grayson was around," Cody said, backing out of the driveway.

"Okay, yeah, that would've been awful. To be fair though, I never killed him," Tala said with a grin.

"Which is a miracle within itself," Cisco said, laughing.

Cody dropped Caitlin off at Star Labs before taking Cisco and Tala home, where the two engineers dropped down onto the couch with popcorn and a movie. When Tala plugged her phone in, the date flashed across the screen, and Tala frowned, knowing what the next week or so would bring. Not everything, but enough of an idea for her to lose the spring in her step.


	31. 205 The Darkness and The Light

Earth Two - Eight Months Ago

"Hello and welcome. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Harrison Wells," Harrison Wells said in front of a crowd. "Today, the future has arrived. Our city has seen incredible, impossible things. Metahumans, men and women with extraordinary abilities. The ability to soar above buildings, to run faster than the speed of light. Unfortunately, most of these Metahumans have chosen the wrong path with these powers. A dark path. My team and I at Star Labs are committed to keeping up with these perilous times. And so, may I present to you our new line of 'Metahuman Awareness' apps."

Harrison waved to the monitors stationed around the room and they changed from bearing the Star Labs logo to showing off Star Labs' newest products, including a next generation tablet. The scientist held out his wrist, showing off a high-tech watch.

"This technology will allow you to instantly detect the presence of a Metahuman. You'll be instantly alerted to an approaching speedster like Zoom, or like..." Harrison was cut off as his watch went off, showing everyone what would happen when a metahuman was around. The Flash sped into the center of the crowd, stealing attention away from Harrison as everyone gasped and started applauding the hero in their midst. Harrison joined in on the applause, though his claps were sarcastic and slow. "Welcome, Flash."

"Tell them the truth, Doctor Wells. Everything that has happened to this city, the past two years, is because of you. You created all of us Metas. You created Zoom," The Flash accused. The crowd gasped and started muttering amongst themselves, wondering if the Flash was right. Was everything Harrison Wells' fault?

"I created Zoom?" Harrison Wells asked, starting at the Flash incredulously.

"Eleven hours before the first Meta sighting, enormous blasts of dark matter radiation, were silently expelled beneath this lab."

The crowd, including Jesse, Harrison's daughter, looked on in confusion and horror. No one was sure if the Flash was right, but why would he lie? Flash was a hero, why would he lie to them?

"I'm sorry, Flash. I believe all this fast running may have scrambled your brain," Harrison said with a smirk. He knew the Flash was right, but there was no way he would ever admit that to the masses.

"You take no responsibility for the wreckage your mistakes have caused," Flash stated, not asking. "Admit it, Wells. And then maybe, you can truly help me do something about it."

"Help you? Because I'm the greatest tech entrepreneur of all time. You're the superhero," Harrison said snidely. "And we would all be safe, if you would just do your job and stop Zoom."

The Flash ran off, a blast of air and the crackle of yellow lightning all that was left behind from the Metahuman. Harrison adjusted his suit jacket as his watch beeped again, indicating that the Flash was running away.

"Well, I guess it's safe to say the speedster sensors work," Harrison said, gesturing to the watch again. The crowd laughed, and Harrison turned to his daughter, who had stepped forward in concern.

"Are you okay, Dad?" She asked.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Harrison said, his smooth veneer as a businessman softening for a moment as he smiled at her, before turning back to face the crowd. "Now, where was I? Oh, that's right. The future."

...

Tala paced around the man, watching the way he held himself, feeling his energy, almost familiar, but so different. He didn't vibrate with a speedsters' energy the way the last person to hold this face had. Caitlin and Cisco stood with their arms crossed, different expressions of shock and confusion written on their faces.

"Very strange to be holding your autobiography. Especially when you didn't write it. And it's not about you," Harrison Wells said. Tala looked at him with her mouth hanging open. She turned to Barry, silently pleading with him to give her an explanation.

"Doctor Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, Tala Merlyn, meet Doctor Harrison Wells from Earth-2," Barry said, his voice carefully neutral.

"Hi," Cisco said blankly.

"Hi," Harrison replied. Tala frowned, running her fingers through her hair.

"So, let me get this straight. You're the doppelganger of the man who murdered his mom, and is responsible for both Ronnie and Eddie's deaths," Cisco said, gesturing to Barry, before turning to Tala, wishing he was hallucinating.

"And rebreaking my spine. But he's not even the doppelganger of the Harrison that we knew, because that Harrison's body had been taken over by the Reverse Flash, who was really Eobard Thawne, and Eddie's distant relative from the future," Tala said before frowning. "I miss the League..."

"Yeah, I didn't follow any of that," Harrison two point oh said, staring at them all blankly. "I'm my own man. I had nothing to do with the murder of your mother, or your friend Ricky."

"His name was Ronnie," Caitlin and Tala both corrected, Tala growling at the man.

"Him either," Harrison said.

"Please tell me he has proof of his identity this time," Tala begged, dropping into a chair and throwing her head back. "I'm done trusting that face."

"This almost hit me when I went through the portal," Harrison said, pulling something out of his bag. Caitlin went to look at it. "Your stabilized breach downstairs connects directly to the Star Labs on my Earth."

"Technically, this could be mine. But I want to run some tests on you," Cait said, holding up Martin's old heart monitor from before he had been stabilized.

"I'll be genetically indistinguishable from my Earth One counterpart," Harrison said. "Your tests will reveal nothing."

"Great! Still gonna run 'em," Cait said.

"Then you'll be going through my tests. I don't trust you, I don't like you and I swear to Allah I'm not making the same mistake I did last time," Tala growled, glaring at him.

"Be my guest," Harrison said. Tala stood, and followed Cisco over to Barry.

"Why are we even listening to him? How do we know he's not evil like the other guy?" Cisco asked, leaning toward Barry. Tala just shrugged.

"He saved my life last night," Barry said. Tala raised her eyebrows at him in surprise. "The question is why. I'm guessing you didn't travel between dimensions just to meet the Flash."

"That's exactly what I did," Harrison said, glaring at Barry. "I came here to help you, Barry. To stop your greatest enemy."

"We already did that. It was you," Tala said, stepping protectively in front of Cisco.

"I'm not talking about Reverse Flash. I'm talking about Zoom," Caitlin nodded and turned away. "I see you've already heard of him."

"Yeah, Zoom has been sending Metahumans from your world through the breaches to fight me," Barry said, frowning.

"Well, they're the symptoms. Zoom's the plague," Harrison said, fidgeting with the strap on his gun. "One that's infected my world and now he's coming for yours."

"What do you know about Zoom?" Tala demanded.

"Everything. I created Zoom," Harrison said. "I'm responsible for all the Earth Two Metahumans. A fact I've ignored for far too long. But now, I'm doing something about it."

"Yeah, well, we're batting a thousand against these breachers," Cisco said, glaring at Harrison again.

"You're batting a thousand, Crisco?" Harrison asked and Tala growled, her eyes flashing blue in irritation. "What's your sample size? Ten? Less? Zoom is obsessed with speed. He will never allow there to be another speedster in the multiverse. And he's gonna keep sending these Metas here, one after the next, all with the same goal. To kill the Flash. Unless we stop him. Together."

"Last time I listened to a guy with your face, some bad things went down," Cisco said. Tala placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, reaching over to take Cait's hand.

"We lost people we cared about," Caitlin said.

"Everyone loses someone they care about, Snow. The real test of character is what you do once they're gone," Harrison said. Tala felt Joe's energy walking toward the room and stood, pulling her powers up as the detective walked into the room. Joe fired three shots and Tala shoved her powers out, forming a wall around Harrison. One clipped her shoulder, causing her to snarl, but Barry caught them before they even hit her wall.

"Damnit Joe, put the gun down!" Tala shouted, walking over to the medical lab where she grabbed a vial of Lazarus waters. She dipped her fingers in the water and dropped it into the bleeding wound.

"How is he still alive?" Joe demanded, glaring at Harrison. "How are you still alive?"

"Well I don't know. Because you missed?" Harrison said. Tala snorted and grabbed a cloth, wiping the blood and residual waters off her shoulder before they could stain her shirt.

"Hey, I'm trying to keep him from shooting you. You're not helping," Barry said to Wells. "Let's take a walk, alright? It's all good."

"Barry, maybe you should convince him to stop shooting me! That's twice now, and I only really deserved the first one," Tala said, checking over her shoulder left shoulder to make sure she'd completely healed. "At least he didn't screw up my tattoos."

"We know someone who can verify everything that this guy just said," Caitlin said to Cisco and Tala. "Be careful. Tala, don't kill him."

"I don't suppose you have a Big Belly Burger in this universe, do you?" Harrison asked, looking at Cisco and Tala. Tala just buried her face in her hands.

"This isn't happening," Cisco said, turning and leading Tala down to the gym.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but that guy, back in that room, that's not Wells," Barry said to Joe as the detective holstered his gun.

"Doctor McGee swore she saw Wells. He broke into Mercury Labs," Joe said, staring at the wall that separated him from the man who looked like the man that killed Barry's mom.

"What? Why didn't you tell me this?" Barry demanded.

"Because I didn't believe her! I didn't even want to consider Wells was alive," Joe defended.

"Eddie erased that Wells from existence. This guy is... He's someone else. And he says he's here to help us stop Zoom," Barry said. He didn't know how to feel, but if he could help them defeat Zoom...

"How can you even look at him?" Joe asked. He wanted to shoot Wells again. Without Barry catching the bullets.

"You think this is easy for me?" Barry scoffed. "The guy in there looks, moves, sounds exactly like the guy that drove a knife through my mother's heart! I have to resist the urge to kill him. I'm trying my best to get past that, okay? You shooting him, that's not helping."

"After all our losses, I thought at least we were free of Wells," Joe said, his voice full of exasperation. "I just want one week where we're not surprised by somebody from our past. I better go fill in Iris."

"Good luck," Barry said as Joe turned to leave. The detective waved at Tala and Cisco as he passed their gym.

Tala threw another punch at Cisco, watching as he ducked under it and tripped her up. Tala let herself fall to the ground with a groan.

"What's up with you? You're off," Cisco said, kneeling down next to her. "You're not wearing your ring."

"No, she told me not to. Ugh, I want it to be January already. I don't want to do what Chay-ara wants me to, but apparently I already did it," Tala shouted, rolling over and jumping to her feet. "I swear, if I'd never met Rip Hunter I'd be much better off for it. And of course it involves you, why wouldn't it involve you? Not like you're the best person I know and the one person I don't want to lose."

Cisco grabbed Tala before she could punch the wall and spun her to face him. She was grinding her teeth in anger, but her eyes were filled with tears.

"Tell me what you can. We don't want to mess up the timeline," Cisco said, pulling Tala into his arms. She took a deep breath, trying to regain control over her emotions.

"We go to Jitters at some point, and Barry challenges you over something to do with getting a date. Then you're going to meet the Barista and trust me, she is absolutely beautiful," Tala said, laughing slightly. "You ask her out, and you two hit it off. She likes movies almost as much as you do; she makes you smile and laughs at all your jokes."

"But you make me smile and you laugh at all my jokes," Cisco said, confused. "You and I watch movies nearly every night and we have your company, I don't know why I'd ask anyone else out when I have you. Is it a poly relationship?"

"No, just you two. Though I wouldn't disagree in sharing you. She would," Tala giggled, the tears in her eyes fading. "That triad would be a whole other daydream. Just, for the sake of the timeline, promise me you'll give the barista a chance?"

"For you, and the promise you made, I'll give the barista a chance. Screw the timeline," Cisco said, pressing a kiss to Tala's temple.

"I guess I should probably tell you I'm staying with a friend? I don't want to get in the way of you and your new girlfriend," Tala said, looking surprisingly okay with the new development. "Don't worry, you won't get rid of me completely, just until she joins up with Rip Hunter and all that nonsense."

Linda Park walked back toward her desk after picking up her newest layout. Her boss stopped her in front of Iris' desk with a glare.

"I hope you're happy, Linda. Tanner's lawyers are threatening to sue us," He growled at her.

"I'm sorry, Chief, I don't care how many touchdowns Tanner throws, I'm not interviewing some 'roided out jerk who hit his wife," Linda defended. "Unless it's to hold him accountable for domestic violence."

"Alright," The Editor in Chief sighed. "Run your story, Park. The sports page used to be a lot less complicated."

He rolled his eyes and walked away. Linda walked over to lean against Iris' desk, who smiled at the sports reporter.

"She shoots, she scores," Iris said, making Linda smile.

"Larkin's the best editor I've ever worked for. It's just every once in awhile, you have to remind him it's the twenty first century," Linda said to Iris. Iris laughed as Linda walked away, just as Joe walked in, silently asking Iris if they could walk and talk. Iris nodded and grabbed her coat.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Iris asked, concerned. "It's not Francine, is it?"

"What? No, no, but this is just as complicated," Joe said, leading them through the alley behind Central City Picture News. "There's someone new at Star Labs, from Jay's earth, Earth Two."

"Okay? Why is that so complicated? They're not like, my doppelganger, are they?" Iris asked, wondering what her Earth Two counterpart was like.

"No. It's Harrison Wells," Joe said. Iris blinked, trying to process that.

"But that's not really him? The Wells who Eddie gave his life to stop," Iris had to make sure.

"Apparently not," Joe said. Iris sighed, shaking her head.

"That's life in Central City these days, right?" Iris asked, trying to take it all in stride. Her best friend was a superhero, she had a brother her father didn't know about, and now, Harrison Wells was back from the dead.

"You sure?" Joe asked, surprised Iris was taking this so well.

"Dad, I'm fine. Really," Iris reassured her father, knowing she was stronger than he gave her credit for. Joe reached behind him, glancing around the alley to make sure they were alone.

"Good. I wanna keep you that way," Joe said. He pulled a small gun out of his waistband and handed it to Iris. "Take it. I taught you how to use it for a reason. And I'm praying that Barry's right and this Wells means us no harm. Last year you had Eddie to look out for you, but now, you can't murder somebody that everybody thinks is dead, right? Put it away."

Joe pressed a kiss to Iris' temple before walking away. Iris put the gun in her pocket, after making sure the safety was on, before pulling out her phone and calling Tala, in desperate need for advice from the assassin.

"Iris, what's wrong? You're not in trouble, are you?" Tala asked as soon as she answered.

"No, I just need some advice. My dad was just by, to warn me about Wells," Iris said, glancing around the alley.

"Yeah, that took us all by surprise. Joe tried to shoot him as soon as he saw Wells. No offense, but your dad is a bit trigger happy for a cop," Tala said. Iris snorted.

"That's why I called. Dad just gave me a gun. He said that I can't murder someone everyone already thinks is dead," Iris said, her stomach flipping uncomfortably. "I don't know what to think about that."

"That's really dark for someone who tried to chase the Arrow out of town with a pitchfork for having committed murder," Tala said. "I'll meet up with you at some point and make sure it's registered to you and it's all legal for you to use. I'll get you a CCW and everything. I swear, I have no idea what Joe is thinking. Keep it out of sight, I'll swing by your place as soon as I can."

Tala ended the call as she pulled into the parking lot behind Jitters, and pulled off her helmet. Behind her, Cisco dismounted, shaking his hair out. Barry skid to a halt behind them.

"You do realise that when I said I wanted a drink, I didn't mean a latte, right?" Cisco asked Barry and Tala. "I was talking about alcohol. Like, mind-numbing alcohol."

Tala pulled her flask out of her pocket and handed it to him, watching as he actually swallowed down some of the vodka in it.

"Alright, look, you two have got to give him a chance, okay?" Barry said, pulling the flask out of Cisco's grip and putting it back in Tala's back pocket. "He's not a speedster. He's just a regular, normal guy. From another universe."

"I never thought I'd miss time travel," Tala complained, shaking her head.

"Time travel, huh?" Patty Spivot said from behind the trio. Tala tensed and made a conscious, visible decision to not draw a knife.

"Hey! Are you kidding?" Barry greeted, turning around with a smile on his face. Tala felt his energy spike in a way it usually did around Iris.

"Hi. Is there, uh, a Metahuman who can time travel?" Patty asked. Tala barked out a laugh, drowning out Barry's nervous stutters.

"I freaking wish. I'd have them take me back to my high school Prom and do it right," Tala said. "Sadly, time travel isn't real."

"'Cause that would be pretty cool," Patty laughed.

"Not so sure about that," Cisco muttered under his breath, forcing a smile on his face.

"Patty, you know Cisco Ramon, right. And Tala Merlyn?" Barry tried to introduce them all.

"Yeah, you two are the scientific advisors on Metahumans to the CCPD, right?" Patty asked. Tala shrugged, knowing she had too many titles to keep track of them all.

"Yeah, that's us," Cisco said, nodding.

"Nice. Hey, Bear, did you hear? I was right about King Shark," Patty said. Tala and Cisco turned to Patty, impressed smiles on their faces.

" _King Shark_? Nice name," Cisco said, laughing slightly. "I like her."

"Yeah, King Shark almost ate the Flash," Patty said. Tala raised a dangerous eyebrow at Barry who flushed and made an apologetic motion with his hand.

"No, I'm sure the Flash had it handled," Barry said, and Cisco frowned. Tala wanted to know why she hadn't heard about the Flash's run in with some guy named King Shark.

"Oh, no, I was there. I saw it all. Some hooded guy saved his life," Patty said, unaware that Barry was blustering.

"Wait, and you're not, like, traumatized or anything?" Cisco asked, wondering briefly what was wrong with this girl.

"I just watched a half-man half-shark take on the fastest man alive," Patty said excitedly. "I love this city."

Tala and Cisco gave approving looks to Barry as Patty dug through her bag to find her vibrating cell phone.

"Let's see. Sorry, Oh Captain just texted me. He wants me to write my police report. Uh, you maybe want to write it with me?" Patty asked, looking up at Barry. Tala and Cisco watched with matching unimpressed expressions as Barry started stuttering.

"Uh, I can't. Tonight, I'm busy. I'm... yeah, sorry." Barry said. Tala tried not to laugh.

"Oh, yeah. Okay," Patty said, upset but taking it with grace. Tala noticed Cisco glancing over at the barista, Kendra.

"I've just got science stuff. Stuff I gotta science the stuff out of. Maybe next time though," Barry said. Tala held up her hand.

"He's doing a lab thing for Merlyn Industries, but if he finishes early, I'll have him call you, deal?" Tala cut in, saving herself from second hand embarrassment.

"Yeah, coolio!" Patty said, smiling again. "But I'm gonna actually skip the coffee and go get a head start. So. Good to see you guys."

Tala watched as Patty left, and shook her head, turning to Barry. She fixed him with a disappointed glare.

"Dude! For real?" She demanded, looking up at the speedster.

"Stop, alright? I was gonna ask her out, and then a man-shark tried to eat me," Barry defended. "And then! Doctor Wells, the sequel, showed up."

"Okay, can we not use the name Doctor Wells? I'm just gonna call him Harry," Cisco said, shaking his head. "'Cause, listen. There's always gonna be Harrys out there. But you can't let the Harrys of the world get in the way of you living your life. Ask Patty out. You gotta be bold."

"That's tough talk. When was the last time you asked a girl for her number?" Barry asked. Tala snorted.

"Watch and learn," Cisco said, before turning to face the woman Tala recognized from her brief jaunt into the future, back in twenty fourteen.

"We're watching," Tala said, linking arms with Barry.

"Hi. What can I get you?" Kendra asked.

"Hi there," Cisco said, not at all smoothly. Tala bit her lip and tried not to screw this up for either of them.

"Hi. Again," Kendra said. Tala looked behind the bar, meeting Caity's eyes and winking, causing the girl to blush. Caity started making Tala's usual coffee, a Haven, twice the strength. The assassin motioned for her to start a Flash for Barry as well. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Yeah, I'll get some... No, uh. No, I don't want coffee. You know what I do want, though? I wanna ask you this," Cisco said. Tala held up two fingers, knowing that this wasn't going to end well and Cisco was going to forget to actually order his coffee. "Do you wanna go out with me?"

Barry covered his face with his hand, and Tala bit her lip painfully to stop from laughing. Tears were springing to her eyes as she tried not to laugh. _Oh Hell, my boyfriend is hopeless._ Tala thought, trying not to laugh.

"Do, wait. I mean, we could, we could go get coffee, or we could, like..."

"No," Kendra said.

"That's a no," Cisco said, his energy not changing much, so Tala knew he wasn't too upset by it. Mostly just embarrassed. "It's totally cool. It's cool. Respect."

Cisco walked away, and Tala watched him, gesturing for Barry to wait for Caity to bring them their drinks. The assassin felt his energy change and she lunged forward, grabbing his hand just as the vision started.

It was Central City Bank. Someone was crying, and a man was trying to pull someone back, away from whomever was robbing the place. The manager was holding a bag, and three employees were filling it with cash from the vault. There was a woman wearing a helmet type mask to cover her identity. She threw what looked like light at the camera above where Cisco and Tala were watching, shattering it, just as they pulled out of the vision.

"Yo, dude, you good? It's her loss," Barry said, holding the drink carrier with their coffees. "Hey, what's up?"

"We have another breacher," Tala and Cisco said, turning to Barry.

"What? How do you know?" Barry asked, bewildered.

"Central City Bank, c'mon Sarie!" Tala said, grabbing the coffee and pushing it into Cisco's hands. "Take the bike, meet us back at the labs."

Tala dragged Barry into the alley where she pulled for her armor before jumping on Barry's back as they ran for the bank. Barry stopped them once they had the thief in view.

"You got my attention," Barry said.

"Nice lipstick," Tala commented, jumping down from Barry's back and drawing her bow.

"Flash, Haven," The robber said. She shot a burst of light at them. Barry leaned back to dodge, while Tala just jumped backwards. Before either of them could retaliate, the masked woman fired at the ground, causing civilians to fly backwards. Barry ran around landing them all in chairs. Tala was blinking spots out of her eyes, and by the time her vision cleared, she was gone, the bags of money sitting on the ground.

"What the Hell?" Tala asked, looking around. Barry looked at her and shrugged, not having a clue. Barry picked Tala up, carrying her bridal style as they ran back to Star labs, where Harry was sitting there with Cisco, who passed Tala her coffee as she pushed her armor away. "Who was that? She had the weird helmet thing on. She's a breacher."

"Her name is Doctor Light," Harry said, plugging a USB stick into the computers and pulling up a file on her. "Small-time thief on my Earth, until exposed to the dark matter from the particle accelerator. She became a Metahuman with the ability to derive power from starlight."

"Very cool," Cisco and Tala said.

"Stars having a temperature of five thousand three hundred degrees Kelvin and a blinding luminosity. I would say not very cool. At all," Harry said, causing Tala to frown.

"You know, our Doctor Wells may have been evil, but you're just a dick," Cisco said. Tala agreed. There was no need for him to be so rude.

"Okay, so, obviously, Zoom brought her here from your Earth, like the others," Barry said. Tala leaned over and snatched up Harry's fries, ignoring the glare he sent at her.

"Mmhmm, now that we know that, we can use that to gain advantage," Harry said.

"What do you mean?" Barry asked.

"We capture Doctor Light. Then use her to lure Zoom here," Harry explained. Tala turned as Jay walked into the room, followed by Caitlin.

"You are insane. Okay?" He shouted, glaring at Harry. "We are not luring Zoom anywhere!"

"Apparently, they know each other. And Jay is not a fan," Caitlin explained as she crossed the room to stand near Cisco.

"Well, well, well. Like everyone else, I assumed our Earth two Flash was dead," Harry said. "Why am I not surprised to find Jay Garrick here? Still alive. And in hiding a full universe away from Zoom."

"I'm not in hiding," Jay said. Tala started munching on the fries, enjoying watching the drama. "Zoom nearly killed me and stole my speed before the Singularity pulled me here."

"Is that right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, that's right," Jay said, determined to not let Harry have the last word.

"Well, whatever the case, in your absence, Zoom has only gotten more powerful, faster," Harry said. "Barry, you have to defeat Zoom now, while you still can."

"No, this isn't the time to be reckless," Jay said. "We don't even know why Zoom sent Doctor Light here. She's a thief, not a killer."

"Zoom can make people do things out of character. Thief or not, she'll kill you," Harry said, glaring at Jay, before turning to Barry. Tala knew they didn't care about anything except getting one over on the other in that moment.

"Alright that's enough. Shut up both of you before I start stabbing people," Tala shouted, standing up and glaring at the two men from a different Earth. Their energies grated against the energy from Earth One. "We can decide what to do with Light, later. First, we have to figure out who she is, and then find her! Okay?"

Harry grabbed his drink and slurped it in Jay's face, turning away. Barry turned to Cisco and Tala.

"Hey, how did you know that she was breaking into the bank?" Barry asked Cisco. She blinked rapidly, trying to come up with a plausible lie.

"I got an alert on my phone," Cisco stuttered. "It's a little ring-a-ding every time there's a robbery at a bank. But you know what? I think I can get the Star Labs' satellite to scan for any irregular solar radiation emissions, and we can find Doctor Light's light."

"I'll have one of the Merlyn Industries satellites doing the same," Tala said, trying to help Cisco keep his secret.

"Okay. I'm gonna also, uh, call Joe. See if CCPD has any leads," Barry said, pulling out his phone. He paused before gesturing to the two visitors from Earth Two. "Why don't we keep them apart until I get back?"

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Caitlin said. Tala glanced at the two men, feeling the tension rolling off of them in waves.

Barry ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he rounded the corner to head down the stairs to talk to Joe. He didn't notice Patty until she spoke up.

"Hey! How's your science stuff?" Patty asked. Barry blanked for a second before remembering what he told her at Jitters.

"I finished it. Um, did you get your report done?" Barry asked, almost not remembering the entire conversation. The day was moving faster than he liked, and he was a speedster.

"Yeah, totally. It wasn't as much fun, writing it by myself, but... I'll see you," Patty said, continuing up the stairs.

"Hey, do you ever feel completely overwhelmed by everything that you have to do in a day, and it feels like the one thing that you actually want to do is the thing that gets lost?" Barry asked, looking up at Patty. He liked this girl, she was smart, funny, and as interested in nerdy things as he was. Barry felt like it was the worst possible case of right person, wrong time - and that was coming from the person who pined after Iris for as long as he had.

"I'm confused. What?" Patty asked.

"I've been thinking for a while now, actually, would you want to get dinner with me sometime?" Barry asked.

"Yeah. This isn't gonna be one of those things where I get really excited and then more 'science stuff' comes up, right?" Patty asked, and Barry felt bad. He hadn't meant to brush Patty off as often as he had, but without telling her that he was the Flash, he was a little bit stuck.

"No, no. That's not, uh... Tomorrow?" Barry asked. "We can grab an early dinner. I don't want to wait anymore."

"Okay," Patty said a light blush filling her cheeks. Barry thought that the color brightened up her entire face.

"Okay."

"Looking forward to it," Patty said, turning, the blush getting darker. Barry smiled as he continued down the stairs.

Leonard Snart leaned up against the fence in the yard, watching the inmates barter and trade with each other. Some passing drugs, others passing shivs to allies and pointing out targets. He saw some of the Santini's glaring at him, but with no Godfather, and Tala pulling the strings behind the mayor, they had no power in Iron Heights, and no way out. They couldn't do anything.

Looking to the left showed the last remnants of the Darbinyan crime family, huddled together, glaring at the Santini's, and trying to plot their revenge. Leonard scoffed. The mobs were nearly done in Central City, Tala would make sure of that; she had told him as much the last time she visited.

"Snart!" A CO Leonard didn't recognize shouted for him across the field. Len felt every eye train on him, and he knew that's what the CO wanted. From the way he glanced at the Santini's, Len would've bet money that he was on their payroll, small though it is. "Time for your conjugal!"

Leonard blinked twice - his only show of surprise - before striding across the grassy space toward the officer that shouted for him. Automatically his lips set into a smirk, his walk turned into a strut. All visits at Iron Heights happened through a phone and glass and bars. There was no cafeteria setting where families could visit and hang out with their criminals; that's why no one liked getting sent here, it was a box.

The officer grabbed Leonard's arm and dragged him to the main building, snapping cuffs on his wrists as they went. The conjugal room wasn't like it was in most prisons, it was a separate room for the warden, but since the warden at Iron Heights was a married man he didn't live there. There was a fully furnished apartment suite that the prison kept for reasons like this, when an important and rich person wanted to sleep with a felon.

Leonard let the CO undo the cuffs before he walked into the apartment, rubbing his wrists. The first part was a kitchen, only holding a stove, fridge and microwave - nothing useful. Leonard turned left around the counter and followed the lights to a room at the end. He pushed open the door, wondering who had bribed half of Central City to get this.

"Expecting someone else?" Tala asked when she met Leonard's blank stare. She stood up from the bed, with a grin and walked over to Len, pulling his stunned form into a hug. He tensed briefly at the contact, but relaxed into it after a moment.

"Who did you bribe to set this up?" Len asked after Tala pulled away.

"No one, actually. Since the Santini and Darbinyan families are out, Mayor Bellows turned to me for advice and funding. He's not horribly corrupt, but he's nice to keep around," Tala said, dropping back down onto the bed. The assassin crossed her arms behind her head while Len stretched out next to her, laying on his side and facing her. "I can get away with anything. Do anything I want to."

"So you come to Iron Heights and rent out the presidential suite? How long do you have?" Len asked.

"Rest of the night. I'm a badge, remember? I'm Tala Merlyn, best friend of the mayor and upstanding citizen," Tala scoffed. "Or something like that. I do have to admit, hacking official records to marry us probably tarnishes that record."

"We're married?" Len asked, not surprised, just curious. "Who took whose last name?"

"Yet to be determined. You could take mine, it'll make you rich," Tala said, grinning. "I think my board, and my team would die of shock if I suddenly took Captain Cold's last name."

"Did you wear a dress to the wedding?" Leonard asked, his sass making Tala laugh. "What flowers did we have? Was it a Jewish wedding?"

"I wore a suit, thank you very much. And we had blue and white Hyacinths. And yes, it was a Jewish wedding. I walked around you seven times and you smashed a glass, after you shoved cake in my face," Tala laughed, trying to actually picture walking down the aisle to Leonard Snart. Maybe if she didn't have Cisco, or if Cisco chose Kendra over her. "Speaking of, this ring is for you."

Tala pulled a darkened silver ring out of her pocket, and slid it onto Leonard's left hand first finger. It depicted a dragon, biting into a red gem; one that seemed to glow with an inner fire.

"Any specific reasoning?" Len asked, admiring the ring. "You don't seem like the person to give something like this away for trivial reasons."

"I don't know where Rip will take you. And, as my husband, fanciful though it may be, this ring is symbolic," Tala explained, tapping the ring. "It's the ring for the spouse of Warith al Ghul. Since my father is Ra's al Ghul, I am officially the next in line for the title, unless Nyssa challenged dad through combat. Anyone who knows the League will recognize this ring."

"You're giving it to me? Not Cisco?" Len asked. He thought for a moment that he said the wrong thing, watching her face darken briefly.

"No, he doesn't leave my side, he has me for protection," Tala said, staring past Len at the wall.

"You're worried he won't come back to you," Len said. Tala's eyes flashed blue for a moment, and he knew he was right. "He will, then you'll have two husbands. Sounds like your daydream."

They both tried to imagine it, Leonard and Cisco sharing Tala. At once, the two started laughing, Tala feeling tears stream down her cheeks as she panted, clutching her sides at the mental image.

"We're not here for him. I'm here for you, to see what I'm going to be missing out on when you go to save the world," Tala said, turning to face Len. He set his hand on her cheek, tracing her high cheekbones with his thumb.

"Well, we are married, let's treat this as a honeymoon," Len said, pulling Tala into a kiss, his fingers automatically curling around her choker.

Tala frowned, hearing the music from up in the cortex. She turned to Cisco, raising an eyebrow in an unspoken question. He shrugged and started walking, following the hall down to their work station where Harry was sitting, working and blasting bad music.

"Hey, Harry. Hey, over here! Hey!" Cisco shouted, glaring at the scientist. Harry looked over before turning the music down. "Come inside, use my work room, use my computer, I don't care."

"Thanks," Harry said. Tala bit down on a laugh at how much the man didn't care.

"You and Wells Prime have very different musical tastes," Cisco pouted. "His were better."

"This Harrison Wells and I are very different, but similar in some respects. I see he made almost the same mistake I did with the particle accelerator," Harry said. Tala glanced over his shoulder and saw all the articles on Harrison on the screen.

"He did a lot of awful shit, but none of it was accidental," Tala said.

"What did he do to you?" Harry asked, looking past Tala and straight at Cisco. Tala walked over and placed her hand on Cisco's shoulder in support. Harrison was still a touchy subject, for the entire team, it wasn't just Cisco. "I know he caused the Singularity, murdered Barry's mother, blah-blah-blah-blah. What did he do to you? You can barely look me in the eye. Why is that? What did he do to you?"

Harry tapped a wrench on the metal pipe in front of Cisco, forcing him to look up. Tala glared at the man, while Cisco bit his lip, trying to think.

"He shoved his hand through my chest. He stopped my heart, and killed Tala right in front of me, shredded her internal organs to the point to where even her usage of the Lazarus waters couldn't save her," Cisco said angrily. Tala squeezed his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Ouch. Okay, that would do it. But you survived that?" Harry asked, laughing slightly. "Both of you did."

"Only because Barry accidentally erased that timeline," Tala explained, stretching up to place a gentle kiss to Cisco's temple.

"I see. Barry traveled in time," Harry said.

"Twice," Tala and Cisco corrected.

"Here's how it is. You don't have to like me," Harry said. "I don't like you. But you have to work with me to stop Zoom and Doctor Light. Can you do that?"

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" Cisco said, grabbing Tala and pulling her out of the room.

"I guess we will. One more thing... You said you're gonna re-task Star Labs' satellite?" Harry asked.

"And Merlyn Industries, to scan for solar emissions, yeah. We're up and running," Cisco said, shrugging.

"I'd like to examine your program. I wanna see if it works," Harry said. Tala frowned, trying not to laugh.

"Don't worry, it'll work. And you're not touching my satellites," Tala said incredulously. She rounded the corner, walking back up to the cortex just before Cisco left the workroom, glaring at Harry. Neither of them saw Harry check his watch, nor the glowing red light.

Cisco stalked into the cortex, running his fingers through his hair in annoyance. Tala just shook her head, trying to puzzle out the newest Harrison Wells.

"Harry's starting to get on my nerves," He declared.

"The silent alarm just went off at the Bank of Central City," Caitlin said, pointing to the monitor.

"That's gotta be Doctor Light," Barry said. Tala smiled and pulled for her armor.

"Could be a trap," Cisco said, frowning at Tala.

"Barry, trust me, Doctor Light is not a killer, you can talk to her," Jay said as Barry walked over to his suit. Barry nodded, causing Tala to jokingly pout.

"Okay," Barry agreed, speeding into his suit and grabbing Tala before running to the bank.

Barry dropped her at one end of the vault before piling up all the money and standing in front of it.

"Looking for this?" Barry asked. Tala pulled out her bo-staff, just in case. "I know Zoom sent you here to kill me."

"Good news, you don't have to do that," Tala said, watching as Doctor Light turned and faced her, before turning back to Barry.

"Not if I can get out of town with that cash," She said. Tala swore her voice sounded familiar.

"But then what? Zoom's not gonna like that you ditched him, right? Also, why only want him dead? Am I not important?" Tala pouted, though she was smiling slightly under her hood. "We can help you."

"Nobody can protect me from Zoom," The thief protested, lighting up her hands. Barry closed his eyes, while Tala tilted her head down, letting her hood cast a shadow over her face.

"Alright, why don't we take it down a lumen, have a normal conversation, alright?" Barry asked. "Thank you."

Doctor light pressed a button on her helmet, flicking the shades up. It was Linda Park, the reporter from CCPN.

"Linda? Linda Park?" Barry asked. Tala was looking at her in confusion, wondering how different the universes had to be to cause a sweet reporter to become a thief.

"How do you know my name?" Linda asked, looking worried.

"I don't understand."

"This was a mistake," Linda said, shaking her head. She threw her hands up, filling the room with bright light, blinding both Barry and Tala before running out of the bank. Tala tapped on her comms.

"Cisco, can you send Cody to come get us? We're a little blind at the moment," Tala said, rubbing her eyes, while crawling to find Barry by his energy signature.

"Tala, I can't see. I can't see," Barry said once she found him.

"I know honey, I can't either. Cody is on his way, don't worry," Tala took his hand and helped him stand up. "I'm going to wrap you in my powers to hide the flash suit until Cody gets here with a car."

Tala pushed her armor away once they were out of sight of the Bank's cameras before wrapping Barry in blue tendrils that quickly took on the form of a red hoodie and blue jeans. Cody pulled up alongside the curb, jumping out to help Barry and Tala in the car. Cisco was waiting for them in the garage, his energy anxious. Tala climbed out of the car and walked right over to him, pulling him into a hug.

"I'm alright Little One. I will heal, slowly, but I will heal. For now, I will move around going off of the energies I feel," Tala said before moving to grab Barry's hand. Cisco and Cody led them to the elevator which brought them up to the cortex, where Caitlin was waiting to check over them.

"Tala, your eyes are blue, can you push your powers away so I can check your retinas?" She asked once Tala was sitting.

"I don't have my powers out. I pushed them away once Barry and I were in the car," Tala said.

"Her powers must still be trying to protect her," Jay said. "They cover her normally, protecting her. They must've reacted before she did, covering the damage so it can heal."

"So I'm stuck with blue eyes for a week? Fine, Cait, go take care of Barry," Tala pushed Cait towards Barry's energy, standing and following a few steps behind to the med bay.

"I still can't see," Barry said as Caitlin shined a red light in the speedster's eyes. "How long is this going to last?"

"You're both suffering from solar retinopathy," Caitlin explained. "Your retinas are severely damaged. You're both incredibly lucky you're not permanently blind."

"But, with your rapid regeneration abilities, your sight should return soon," Jay said, facing Barry. Cisco rummaged through a drawer, trying to find a bit of the Lazarus waters.

"Six point two five hours, by my estimation," Harry chipped in. "All this could have been avoided if you'd just stopped Light, instead of chit-chatting with her."

"She caught them off guard," Jay defended.

"Always an excuse with you, right?" Harry asked. "He's the fastest man alive, and she's never not protected by her own powers. How could Light possibly catch them off guard?"

"Because Light looks exactly like my ex-girlfriend. Linda Park," Barry said.

"Which is why Zoom probably send her, because he knew we would hesitate if it was someone we knew," Tala said, tilting her head back and pulling off her glasses for Cisco to drop water from the Lazarus pits into her eyes.

"But, that means Zoom had to have known, somehow, that Linda was your ex?" Cisco asked, letting Tala blink before adding two drops to her other eye.

"Which is why Barry has to act now, before Zoom sends another double from Barry's life," Harry said. Tala send him a blind glare, focusing on his energy.

"Alright. Right now, I'm more worried about Linda. When I saw who was under the mask, I said her name," Barry said, blinking rapidly and looking around. "What if Light didn't even realize that she had a doppelganger here until I accidentally told her?"

"The first thing that Atom Smasher did when he crossed the breach was to kill his doppelganger," Cisco said.

"Yeah, but Light's not like Atom Smasher," Jay commented.

"We should keep an eye on your Linda," Harry said.

"Alright, I'll go," Barry said, hopping down from the table. Tala followed his energy with an amused glance. He bounced off Caitlin, before hitting the wall with an audible thud.

"Bear, you can't do anything until your sight returns," Tala called from her seat. Cisco helped her stand and guided her to the cortex.

"I'll go," Jay offered, leaving Barry standing next to the desk in the center of the room.

"I'll go with you," Caitlin said, her energy chasing after the Earth Two speedster. Iris' energy came running into the room.

"Hey, Barry! I came as soon as I..." Iris trailed off. "You look just like him."

I'm guessing my counterpart did something to offend her as well?" Harry asked. Tala turned toward him, nodding.

"Her fiance died because of him," Tala said. She shook her head trying to clear it of the awkward tension the room took on.

"Oh," Harry said, before his energy left the room. Tala shrugged, not knowing if anyone was looking at her for an explanation.

"Iris, I know it's weird seeing him," Barry said as Tala followed Cisco over to a chair along the wall. He sat her down before pulling out his phone and messaging Cody to bring them some coffee and paperwork from the office.

"Yeah, it's just a lot to process lately. Wells, my mother..." Iris trailed off. Tala followed her energy around the room.

"How are you doing with that, by the way?" Barry asked, ever concerned for other people.

"I mean, now that she's gone, okay." Iris said. Her energy was sad, but resolute. Tala wondered if she truly had wanted a relationship with her mother, or if there was something else that had come up.

"Yeah, look. You know you can talk to me about it," Barry said, offering to be her shoulder to lean on. Tala had made the same offer when she finally got that gun put in Iris' name. The assassin was still annoyed that Joe hadn't thought to do that, despite being a cop. _Maybe Len was right, and Justice was an obscure thing that couldn't truly be defined. Though my old professors sure tried to make a case for it._ Tala thought as she mentally rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know, but... But really, I'm fine, okay?" Iris said. "I should be asking how you're doing."

Tala turned to face Cisco as he sat down next to her, ignoring the rest of the conversation between Iris and Barry.

"What are you working on?" Tala asked, reaching out until she found his shoulder.

"I'm trying to shuffle funds from Star Labs to the CCPD because Harry doesn't really need the income, and we're still somehow getting money to pay a salary for the old Doctor Wells," Cisco said, typing away on the computer. "It's nothing too taxing on the budget, but it still needs done."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Hey, we need to schedule a quarterly budget meeting," Tala said, tapping her finger against the desk. "Kevin also said he wants to be there to talk about something that apparently came up and may cause scandal for the company."

"What could possibly cause a scandal? Did your father get spotted out and about? Or did someone find out you're an assassin?" Cisco asked, laughing slightly.

"Or, someone!" Iris said. Tala and Cisco both turned and glanced back at Iris, wondering what was going on.

"Cisco! Hey," Barry said. Tala felt his energy go to one end of the room.

"To your left. Other left," Iris tried directing, but Tala felt the amusement in her energy.

"Cisco!" Barry walked past them again. Tala laughed and stood, chasing after Barry's energy. When she grabbed him, he started, vibrating briefly.

"What do you need from us?" Tala asked, finding Barry's face with her hands. She pulled his chin down to look at her, despite neither of them having sight.

"Help. I have a date with Patty, and I really don't want to cancel it," Barry said, pouting slightly.

"Okay, Cisco, we, well, you're going to be his eyes, so I'm thinking some glasses with a camera or something. Add in comms, and you should be fine," Tala said, turning to look at Cisco. "I'll call Cody and he'll drive you to the restaurant. Iris, can you dress him? I've got a spare suit somewhere around here. You'll be just fine."

Barry nodded and Iris took his hand, dragging the blind man away to dress him in something better than the jeans he was currently wearing. Tala walked over to where the office phone was and dialled Cody's number from memory.

"Cody James," He answered.

"Yo, it's just me, no need for formality," Tala said, laughing. "Can you drive Barry to his dinner whenever you get back here?"

"Yeah boss, sure thing. What number are you calling from?" Cody asked.

"The Star Labs office phone," Tala said, wondering why he asked.

"Why didn't you use your cell?" Cody wondered. Tala rolled her eyes behind the blue film of her powers.

"Because, I literally cannot see my hand in front of my face and had no way of ensuring I called the right number," Tala explained, shaking her head. "This one has actual buttons."

"I'm on my way, and then you will be explaining that," Cody deadpanned.

"Bring food for me and Cisco, chinese!" Tala cheered as Cody ended the call. She shook her head, a light smile on her face as she walked back over to where Cisco was sitting, sketching out a design for the glasses. Tala set her hand down on the paper and tried to trace the faint indentations from Cisco's heavy handed drawing. She pushed her powers out, creating a sturdy pair of what she hoped were sunglasses.

"Perfect, thanks Wolfie," Cisco said, plucking them out of her hand. Iris had dragged Barry back into the room, and judging from Cisco's wolf whistle, he looked good.

"Bring him over here, I want to check a few things," Tala called, waving Iris and Barry over. When she felt the speedster's energy in front of her, she reached out and started trailing her hands over him. Tala rearranged his hair for him, making it feel nice. Iris' energy went from curious to pleased, so Tala assumed she did something correct. "Here, put the cufflinks in from my rebranding ceremony - that way we can keep a better eye on you in case you need help. I'm not so helpless blind that I'd stay here if you ended up in trouble."

"Tala, I can take him from here," Cody said, popping up by the door, smelling like chinese food. "Where to, Mister Allen?"

"Here, Bear, these won't give you vision, but they'll let me see so I can help you avoid major obstacles," Cisco said, setting the sunglasses on Barry's nose and letting the speedster push them up. "We can alert you through comms and what not. Have fun!"

Iris led Cody and Barry down to the garage, while Tala and Cisco settled into chairs with their take out.

Tala listened as Barry apologized to a waiter, that she assumed he bumped into. She listened to the crowd and the music playing around him, picking through her box with the chopsticks provided. She snickered as he ran into another waiter.

"Okay, she's two steps in front of you," Cisco said.

"Nice glasses," Cisco and Tala heard Patty say. Tala absently rubbed at her eyes, wishing she could see.

"Touch down," Cisco said, alerting Barry and Tala that Barry had reached the proper chair.

"Hey, hey! I'm so sorry I'm late," Barry said. Tala reached over and pulled a piece of tofu out of Cisco's box, ignoring the scowl she couldn't see but could feel.

"No, don't be. You know, I actually judge my dates on whether or not they stand me up," Patty said, and Tala sent the screen a sympathetic look. "So you are off to a great start."

"What do you mean? Who would stand you up?" Barry asked. Tala started blinking, noticing more things around the room, though everything was still slightly blue.

"Oh, I have a reputation," Patty said. Tala shoved a bite of food into her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Not that kind of reputation. That's not what I meant!"

"That's embarrassing," Cisco said, laughing.

"You know, I actually arrested a boyfriend once. A very ex boyfriend while we were at dinner," Patty said. "He got really wasted and decided to insult the waitress, so I cited him for public intoxication."

"Well, she doesn't have to worry about that with Barry," Tala commented, smiling.

"That is hilarious," Barry said, laughing along with Tala and Cisco.

"Dude, she looks amazing," Cisco said, trying to be helpful. "You have to tell her how amazing she looks."

"You look amazing, Patty," Barry said.

"Uh, thanks, I actually had a really hard time trying to figure out what to wear, like, if I should wear a dress, or if this color was a little weird," Patty rambled, reminding Tala strongly of Felicity. The assassin idly wondered what she was up to anyway. She made a note to call Oliver and check in once Doctor Light was dealt with.

"No, you look great," Barry restated. "Um, yeah, no, that... What would you call that color?"

"We can't tell. The feed's black and white!" Cisco called, sounding slightly panicked.

"Yeah, whatever it is, that color should thank you for wearing it," Barry said. Tala choked on the bite of Cisco's tofu that she'd stolen again, greatly impressed.

"My man!" Cisco congratulated the speedster.

"Why don't you say things like that to me, Cisco?" Tala pouted, trying not to laugh at the momentary look of panic on Cisco's face that she could just barely make out.

"Because you keep pressuring me to ask out that Barista," Cisco retorted, realising he was being teased. "Ah, wine list, here we go!"

"You know, the guy always picks, why don't you choose?" Barry asked Patty, passing the list over to her.

"Yeah, what do you want, red or white?" Patty asked.

"Whatever you'd like, uh yeah," Barry said.

"You got this, why do you even need me?" Cisco asked. Tala snorted.

"White wines are awful. Too dry for my taste," Tala muttered. She kicked her feet up into Cisco's lap and reached for his half finished tofu, determined to eat it too.

Caitlin returned to the Star Labs van with coffee for her and Jay, smiling as the Earth Two speedster thanked her.

"Classic stakeout fuel," Caitlin said, idly wondering when her life turned into a Buddy-Cop comedy. "You have coffee on your Earth, right?"

"I think coffee's the one constant in the multiverse," Jay said, staring at the cup in his hands instead of the woman next to him.

"So, I don't mean to pry, but when Wells keeps referring to you and Zoom, what's he talking about?" Caitlin wanted to know more for many reasons. The primary being she was genuinely curious about it. It didn't hurt that Tala had asked her to find out. The tension in the Cortex was mind boggling when the two Earth Two residents were in the same room. Even when one of them left, the other was brooding.

"I fought Zoom many times, each time barely escaping with my life," Jay sighed, suddenly showing a few more years on his face, additional wrinkles around his eyes. "So yeah, maybe I didn't always confront him when I should have. The truth is, Zoom scared me. He stole the most precious thing from me: my speed. I didn't want Barry to suffer the same fate."

"Well, maybe if you just sat down with Wells, talked to him about it..." Caitlin trailed off, trying to play mediator between the two men, anything to stop the tension that Tala was occasionally debating cutting through with a sword.

"No, no, no. Do not trust Wells, Caitlin. The guy was more than happy to make money off the Metahuman problem with his tech apps, and now he's obsessed with Zoom," Jay said, his periodical glances out the back windows becoming twitchy. "Something has changed, and not just because I disappeared."

Jay didn't know what was happening on Earth Two, especially now that the Flash was gone. All the Metahumans had flocked to Zoom's banner, happily doing his bidding. Jay wondered what he could've done differently that would've saved his world, but he couldn't think of anything.

"Well, I don't trust Wells," Caitlin reassured, looking at the man she was developing feelings for; not that she would admit it out loud. "I trust you."

Jay smiled at Caitlin, happy in his decision to stay with this team, with these people. The bioengineer smiled back, comfortable with her company.

"So I've actually been dying to ask you," Patty said. Tala just grabbed another gummi work from Cisco's tray, ignoring his silent pout at her. "What was it like to be struck by lightning?"

"Life-changing to be honest," Barry said. Tala rolled her eyes at the complete lack of subtlety there.

"Did it hurt?" Patty asked.

"I mean, all I really remember is feeling electricity surging through my body. It was an intensity I had never felt like I was instantly connected to everything around me," Barry said. Cisco made a blah blah blah motion with his hand, causing Tala to smile. She stole another candy. "Then I woke up from a coma nine months later."

"Waking up in the future like that, it's like time travel," Patty said. Tala shrugged, not having felt like that when she woke up from her four month nap.

"Sort of, yeah," Barry agreed.

"When I was nine, I actually drowned. I hit my head on the diving board and fell into the swimming pool," Patty said. "Uh, my heart stopped for, I think, two minutes until my dad rescued me and saved my life. Yeah, so I guess we've both cheated death."

Tala thought briefly about everyone she knew that had cheated death. Herself and Oliver, Barry, Sara - twice now. Cisco too, though she didn't like to think about that alternate timeline where her and Cisco were murdered by Eobard.

"I've been through a few things in my life that taught me not to be afraid of anything," Patty said, and Tala agreed with her. What was the point in being afraid when she herself had faced down the leader of the League of Assassins, and died twice. "I think fear is what holds people back from being who they should be."

"Preach!" Cisco and Tala said at the same time, Tala snickering when Barry started.

"Yeah, we're still here. Creeping and Peeping," Cisco said, avoiding Tala's eyes so he could keep a relatively straight face.

"You okay?" Patty asked.

"Sorry, I just... Yeah, I really agree with that," Barry tried to cover.

"Really?" Patty questioned, as Barry nodded his agreement. "I think another thing, too. I think you can't see me."

Tala started laughing, full bodied laughs that pushed tears to the corners of her eyes as Cisco sat up suddenly, throwing the candy onto the desk.

"Abort!" Cisco called.

"What? What do you mean?" Barry asked.

"I think you can't see me," Patty repeated. "Come on, I would not be a good detective if I couldn't have figured this one out."

"Uh, yeah, I'm really sorry, and embarrassed, I didn't say anything," Barry said, pulling his glasses off as Tala tried to stop laughing. "I had my pupils dilated earlier."

"Barry, Barry!" Cisco called.

"And I really didn't wanna cancel," Barry said.

"Barry, I lost my eyes!" Cisco called. Tala reached over and turned off the mic, content to let them finish their date in peace.

"No, you have a great smile," Barry said, squinting at Patty.

"Really? How do you know I'm smiling?" Patty asked, smiling and laughing.

"Just a hunch," Barry said, trying to focus on Patty's face, but all he could see where lights and shadows.

"Come on, let's go home. I'm tired. Cody's still on Flash duty so we can take our bikes," Tala said, pulling Cisco to his feet and dragging him toward the elevator to the garage.

"How do you expect to drive when you can't see?" Cisco asked, pulling Tala to a stop. She looked at him and he realized her eyes weren't blue anymore, back to the brown-green-hazel combination that held warmth and fire. "Nevermind. Fine, let's go. I should know by now not to doubt you."

Tala laughed, bringing some levity to the week, and the crisis that was Wells the sequel and the land shark and Tala having to watch Cisco start falling for Kendra. Not that she didn't think they'd be great together, she just didn't want him to leave her. The assassin shook her head, forcing the thoughts out of her mind as she kicked her bike to life. They put on their helmets and sped out of the garage, aiming for their house.

"Okay, so what else is different about our worlds?" Caitlin asked. "Do you have Tahiti?"

"Never been, but I do love Atlantis," Jay said, thinking fondly of a vacation he had taken in his twenties.

"As in the lost city submerged in the ocean somewhere?" Caitlin exclaimed.

"Well, it's actually above water on my Earth," Jay explained. "One of my best friends is from there."

"I would love to see it," Caitlin said wistfully.

"It's special. It's the kind of place you never want to leave," Jay said, looking at Caitlin. She turned to face him and something just clicked between them. They leaned forward, each giving the other of backing out or pulling away.

Doctor Light saw the Star Labs logo and knew they were working with the Flash - Zoom had told her that much. She blasted the van, causing it to tip backwards before landing so hard it bounced, tipping to the side. Caitlin and Jay were knocked unconscious, Cait laying on Jay like they had just fallen asleep there.

Doctor Light walked into the office of Central City Picture News, a quick search of herself revealed that she was a reporter on Earth One; it was the same career she herself had. Except she was never into sports. She was CCPN's top investigative journalist. Despite it being late, the office was still populated. Iris West turned to face the newcomer, worry on her face.

Doctor Light wished her partner was there to help her. He would have been able to help her out of the mess she'd gotten herself into.

"Hello, gorgeous," Doctor Light greeted her doppelganger softly. "Everybody out, now!"

The editor pushed everybody out, trying to get everyone to safety.

"Except you," Doctor Light said when Linda from Earth One tried to leave the building.

"I don't think so," The editor said, trying to defend his employees.

"No, she's leaving with us," Iris said, stepping in front of Linda.

"Not today," The Earth Two meta said, rolling her eyes behind her mask.

"What do you want from me?" Linda asked, hiding behind Iris as the meta held up a brightly glowing palm.

"Your life," She stated gently.

Jay groaned as he came to, looking around to try and figure out what happened. Caitlin felt him shifting and woke up. She absently took stock of herself, making sure nothing was broken or damaged that couldn't wait until they got back to star labs.

"Doctor Light," Jay groaned, realising what happened. At Caitlin's urging, he pulled himself out of the van, jumping to the ground.

"I've never killed anyone before," Doctor Light said, still holding up her glowing palm. Iris reached for the gun her father gave her, hoping that Tala had already registered it in her name. "But it's not murder if it's your double, right?"

"Why are you doing this?" Linda asked, confused. She wondered if the Meta was the crazy fan of an athlete that she had bad mouthed.

"It's the only way that I can stay alive," Doctor Light said, not helping Linda's confusion at all. The editor grabbed an envelope opener from the desk he was standing at. "To become you. I'm sorry, Linda."

The editor charged, causing Doctor Light to turn and hit him, instead of her own Doppelganger. The editor fell to the ground dead and Doctor Light seemed instantly distraught by what she'd done. Iris used the distraction to click the safety off and aim, shooting Doctor Light's mask off her head.

"How is this possible?" Linda asked, her confusion even worse.

"You couldn't understand," Doctor Light said, looking at her double.

"Light!" Jay called as he ran into the room. Doctor Light turned, confusion flying across her face.

"Flash," She breathed, almost too softly for the other women to hear. "I thought I took care of you outside."

Doctor Light used the same trick she had at the first bank to get away, throwing a blast of light at the ground, sending everyone flying in different directions. Iris sat up and looked around for the Meta, but only found her helmet.

"Please don't let go. I may trip," Barry said as he gripped Patty's arm, letting her walk him to her car.

"Okay, I won't. I promise," She reassured, laughing. "Two more steps."

"Alright. Missed one," Barry said, joking.

"There we go. It's funny, how we skipped straight to the hand-holding part," Patty laughed nervously. Barry looked in the general direction of their clasped hands and smiled. "We, uh, have arrived at my car, so..."

"Well, do you think we've reached the goodnight kiss stage?" Barry asked, hopefully. In response, Patty took Barry's hands and guided them to her face, letting him cradle her as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Um, this is burgundy, by the way," Barry laughed, his sight finally back except for a slight blur around the edges. "And you look great in it."

"Now you can see?" Patty asked.

"I can!" Barry cheered.

"That must have been some kiss," Patty said, blushing.

"I guess so," Barry agreed. He leaned forward for another kiss when both of their phones went off. "Sorry."

"No, it's mine too," Patty waved away his apologies.

"Weird. Cisco, hey!" Barry greeted.

Tala and Cisco were three miles from their house when Tala got a call. She patched it through to comms, her helmet blocking most of the wind.

"Merlyn." She greeted. She waved at Cisco to catch his attention and tapped the side of her helmet, before hearing the click that said he was on the call too.

"Tala, Doctor Light was here, she killed my editor, and oh goodness, can you come by CCPN?" Iris asked, sounding shaken. Tala pulled a wide U-turn, not losing momentum as she switched directions.

"Yeah, Cisco and I are on our way. Are you alright? How's Linda?" Tala asked. Cisco was following just behind and to her left.

"What about Caitlin and Jay, they were there too," Cisco said.

"We're all okay. Caitlin and Jay are a little shaken up because Light flipped their van, but there aren't any lasting injuries. Can one of you call Barry, I've got to call Dad," Iris said. Cisco clicked out of the call, and she figured that he was calling Barry. They sped toward the city, hoping their friends were alright.

Patty stood next to Linda, who was still wearing her dress from her date with Barry. She hadn't had time to change.

"I saw myself," Linda said, hoping it sounded less crazy that time. "How is that even possible?"

Barry stood up, pushing a piece of evidence into a bag, also still in his clothes from the date. He sent a sympathetic look at Linda, knowing that people who didn't know about the breeches and the other Earth would obviously be confused if they ran into their doppelganger.

"Sounds like you have an evil Meta-twin," Patty said, stepping out of the way for the coroners to take Larkin to their truck.

"And now Larkin's dead," Linda moaned, trying to wrap her head around it. "Because someone who looks like me wanted to kill me?"

"Linda, none of this is your fault," Joe said, trying to calm the girl who was still in shock. "We're gonna figure it all out, I promise."

"How you doing?" Barry asked, walking over with Doctor Light's helmet.

"I'm alive, thanks to Iris," Linda said, looking at her coworker with respect and slight adoration. "Turns out she's as badass with a gun as she is with a pen."

"Yeah, she is," Barry agreed, knowing his foster sister would never take someone threatening friends and family lying down.

"I'm just happy that you're safe," Iris said, reaching out to take Linda's hand.

"I've arranged a security detail," Joe said, looking at the reporter. "Around the clock, just to be sure."

"I can take you to them if you're ready," Patty offered. Linda nodded and let the blonde detective walk her out of CCPN.

"This is because if me. I should've been here," Barry said.

"The hell you should've!" Haven growled as she stalked into the room, her hood up and her mask firmly in place. "Look at me, this is not your fault. You were blind, hell, we both were. Cait and Jay were just outside, what makes you think we would've fared any better than they did? And having a life outside of the mask is just as important."

Barry looked down in shame, focusing on the mask in his hands. Tala pulled it out of his grip and studied it, curious from an engineer's standpoint.

"You think this mask can help us find that woman?" Joe asked. Tala nodded absently, thinking of having Cisco see if he couldn't get a vision off of it. She really needed to think of a good name for him now that he was a Meta.

"Any evidence on this is just gonna match Linda," Barry said. "I'll think of something else. Light's not gonna kill again."

Barry left, and Tala turned to Joe and Iris, tipping her hood back so they could see her face better.

"Cisco is back at Star Labs with Caitlin and Jay, I'm going to head there now, see what's going on, then try and catch a few hours of sleep before we go up against Doctor Light again," Tala said, pocketing the helmet. "I'll see you guys later."

Tala turned and swept out of the room, pulling her hood down low as she passed under the lights.

"Haven," She heard someone call, and she paused, turning to face them. "Haven, are you going to find who did this?"

"I am. The Flash and I are going to catch Doctor Light, and soon. We know who she is, and we will get her off the streets," Haven responded, not recognizing the reporter that shoved a microphone in front of her. "Please, let us, and CCPD do our jobs."

"What do you think about the rumors going around about the Particle Accelerator explosion being the cause of Metahumans like you and the Flash?" The reporter asked, pushing the microphone back in Tala's face. She sighed and looked into the camera.

"When the Particle Accelerator exploded, it released a wave of theoretical energies, many of which we are still looking through in order to get a better grasp of what happened that night. It did cause the Metahumans to appear, however we at Star Labs, in association with Merlyn Industries have evidence that there is a gene, dormant in humans that was activated by these energies, rather than random gifts to humanity," Tala said, trying to figure her way out of an impromptu press conference. "As for how each person's powers manifested, we are still unsure. And trust me when I tell you I've donated enough blood to this research to say for certain that I have the entirely wrong degree for medical work."

"Do you believe that all Metahumans are a threat to humanity?" The reporter asked after a pause, obviously someone back at the station wanting that question asked. "Should normal humans be worried about them?"

"For the love of, seriously? You people think so small! Are we a threat? No! The criminal Metahumans were criminals long before the explosion gave them powers. Even I was doing the whole Vigilante thing before I was gifted with the ability to create shields and the like," Tala said, shaking her head in exasperation. "Think of all the good we could do if we didn't have to fear for crucifixion from the media. Weather Wizard, he could stop droughts, prevent monsoons, with the snap of his fingers, most of our natural disasters could be memories. Rainbow Raider could be a therapist, instantly calming the fears of those too frightened or anxious to talk about what is troubling them with a hint of blue in his eyes. Yeah, they're Rogues, but don't we all need a good anti-hero?"

Tala scoffed as she walked away, ignoring the rest of the reporter's questions. She had just publicly claimed that the Metas happened because of Star Labs. Tala winced as she realised she basically called Star Labs their base of operations, something which many people knew, or assumed, but hadn't been confirmed. She shrugged as she mounted her bike and kicked it to life, ignoring the need for a helmet in favor of keeping her hood up.

Tala knew that she would be called to give a press conference, and wondered if she could convince Emma to dress up as Haven to 'sell' the rights to the Metas to Merlyn Industries. She snorted as she remembered the conference call she had back when they faced off against Hartley. Tala had thoroughly emphasized the fact that Flash and Haven were not marketable, but if Haven and Flash sold their rights to Merlyn Industries; Tala grinned as she mentally ran the numbers, stock prices were going to rise and revenue was going to get a shot of adrenaline.

Tala cut a corner sharply, pulling her front tire off the ground as she leaned backward, cutting through a plaza full of people and hopping down a flight of stairs. She beamed under her hood as she heard two people whistle as she stuck the landing. From there it was a quick jaunt across a bridge and a duck through the garage and she'd be back with her team, but better yet, she'd have access to a tablet where she could start drafting the press release and start on some of the designs for superhero merchandise. The assassin wondered if she could convince the Bat family in Gotham to allow her to sell things with them on it as well, or if the Head Bat was going to keep that for Wayne Technologies. She decided to send him an email, carefully encoded of course, and ask him about it. He had more villains than her and Ollie did combined, and they would market well. Gotham was well known for its sketchy reputation, and the recent reopening of Arkham Asylum.

"Are you guys okay?" Barry and Tala asked in tandem as they walked into the cortex. Tala pushed away her armor and shook out her hair as she reached for a tablet and started typing, looking over Caitlin and Jay.

"Yeah," Cait said, nodding as she patched up a scratch on Jay's forehead. The Earth Two speedster glanced over at the assassin and Barry, his energy turning apologetic.

"Barry, I am so sorry," Jay said. "Doctor Light's never killed before. I thought we could reason with her."

"You cannot reason with someone under Zoom's influence!" Harry thundered. "A man is now dead because of you, Garrick. This whole thing is because of you. He doubts himself, because of you, but believe me. Barry can do what you could not. Barry can stop Zoom."

"I spent two years hunting Zoom," Jay said, standing up and advancing on Harry. Tala put the tablet down, crossing her arms and glaring at the two as they went at it again.

"Wrong! Zoom hunted you," Harry yelled. "You spent the last two years of your life running, running, running from Zoom!"

"Zoom would've killed me, just like he will kill Barry if you lead him down this path!" Jay shouted, glaring at the scientist.

"No, because he is not like you!" Harry retaliated. Tala idly wished for popcorn, or an air horn. "Barry runs toward danger, not away from it, because Barry is not a coward!"

Jay lunged forward and caught Harry with a powerful right cross. Harry spun with the hit and leaned over the desk. Cait and Cisco jumped back slightly in surprise, and Tala leapt between the men.

"Alright that is enough!" Tala shouted, pushing her powers through her voice, forcing it to carry throughout the cortex. Harry straightened up and shoved Tala out of the way, returning the hit to Jay's face, before catching him in the stomach. Tala watched as the men traded blows, before looking at Barry in exasperation. He sped into the fray and shoved Jay back while Tala grabbed Harry and tried to calm him down. "You two are fully grown men, you can have a conversation without resorting to name calling, or violence!"

Tala sighed as Harry stormed away, and she would've bet money that he went to her and Cisco's lab. She looked at Barry and pleaded with him to go after him. Tala could handle staying far away from him. The speedster sighed and nodded, following him down to Cisco and Tala's lab.

"You were pretty hard on Jay back there," Barry said. Harry scoffed slightly, keeping his back to Barry.

"Maybe you should be hard on Jay too," Harry said, turning to face him and lean against the desk. "I've seen what you can do, Barry. I've calculated how fast you can run, and you should be teaching Jay, not the other way around."

Barry thought about what to say in response to that. Harry was very similar to the old Wells, especially in his desire to see him go faster, but Barry thought that this version was actually legitimate in his concern. Maybe if only to see a Flash that wasn't a disappointment, but he still cared, in his own way.

"You know, before I learned that the other Wells was the man that murdered my mom, I looked up to him. He was my mentor, actually," Barry shrugged like it didn't hurt anymore, but he still felt the pang that he'd felt since his dad was declared guilty at his trial. Barry had actually skipped school to be there for him, despite Joe's protest.

"So, my doppelganger, a man who looks exactly like me, betrayed you," Harry said, trying to piece together his thoughts, unjumbled by his emotions, anger and concern for his daughter being most prominent. "I'm sorry. I'm not him, so you need to listen to me when I say you can take care of Zoom, and all we have to do, is capture Doctor Light."

Barry held back the sigh he wanted to release. Tala would've been better suited for this, especially now that it had switched from calming the man down to talking about how to catch the newest supervillain.

"I thought about testing the mask for Light's DNA, but it would only have Linda's," Barry said, shrugging.

"The mask, what mask?" Harry asked. He suddenly had an idea about how to find the Earth Two metahuman.

"Light's mask," Barry said, wondering where Harry was going with his train of thought.

Tala rubbed her forehead as she glared at Jay for starting a fight in the cortex. Cisco moved to stand next to her.

"Are you okay?" Cisco asked. "It's been a long day."

"I could use a cup of coffee, and like, a nap but I'm alright. Trying to multitask, vigilantism, running a company, I think I just signed over the rights for Haven and Flash to Merlyn Industries. Worrying about the Legends and hoping everything there went alright. Or, I would if it had happened yet. Freaking time travel," Tala said, rolling her eyes. She dropped her voice to a low whisper. "And now we have Barry's ex's doppelganger running around. We have her mask, do you think you can see if you can't see something on it. I can run interference on it. And I think I have a decent Metaname for you."

"I can try, but you have to distract Caitlin and Jay. I don't want them knowing, not yet," Cisco said, glancing at the two scientists. Caitlin had started checking over Jay, making sure the fights hadn't aggravated any of the wounds he suffered from Doctor Light.

"Where's Doctor Light's mask?" Barry asked as he walked into the room, followed by Harry who had a determined look on his face. Cisco and Tala looked up in surprise, Tala wondering if Barry had suddenly developed mind reading powers in addition to his speed.

"I dropped it off in Cait's lab. Why? Do you have a way of tracking Light?" Tala asked, gesturing for Cisco to go get it. He went and grabbed the cart it was on, careful not to touch it while he had everyone's attention on him.

"How did you get this?" Harry asked.

"Iris shot it off Doctor Light when she attacked Linda," Barry said, shrugging. Tala tried to shake off the pit in her stomach.

"You know how to use the mask to find Light?" Jay asked, his body language still hostile. Tala had left talking him down to Caitlin, as she was worried she'd do more damage than good.

"Yes, I do," Harry said. Tala felt Cisco's energy brighten, glad he didn't have to use his powers. Tala figured that they couldn't get away with another hunch like they claimed with Sand Demon. "All we have to do, is give it to him."

"Why me?" Cisco asked, confused.

"Because, you have powers," Harry said. Caitlin raised an eyebrow at Harry's declaration, and Barry tried to laugh it off. Tala stepped in front of Cisco as the team looked at him.

"What are you talking about?" Cisco asked, trying to keep a straight face. Tala could feel his energy, confusion, anger, hurt. Harry adjusted the arm of his jacket with a dramatic flick of his wrist to reveal his watch.

"I developed this watch to detect Metahumans," Harry said as he held his arm out to Barry. The alarm started beeping and the watch flared red. When he walked over to Caitlin, the watch was blue, and silent. "You never got an alert on your phone. You never reprogrammed the Star Labs satellite, and this is why."

Harry grabbed Tala's shoulder and spun her out of the way, shoving her toward Caitlin and Barry. She snarled at the Earth Two scientist, her eyes flashing blue and her nails sharpening. Cisco met her eyes and barely shook his head, causing her to stand down. Harry put his wrist in front of Cisco and the watch turned red and started beeping. Cisco looked heavenward and sighed, grinding his teeth together slightly.

"He's a Metahuman."

"Cisco, have you known about this, and you didn't say anything to us?" Barry asked. Tala shoved Harry out of her way and stepped back in front of Cisco.

"Yeah, I was gonna tell you," Cisco said as he placed a calming hand on Tala's shoulder. They glared at Harry. "Thanks a lot, Harry. I swear, I was, but I didn't. I was just - I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Barry asked. Tala sighed and placed her hand over his on her shoulder.

"Eobard told Cisco that the dark matter gave him a gift, he claimed," Tala explained. "He said that one day, Cisco would thank him for it."

"What if I become like him?" Cisco asked, shaking his head.

"Cisco, I don't think any of us would become evil if we all of a sudden got powers, even if they were from Doctor Wells," Caitlin reassured.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Cisco said, squeezing Tala's shoulder. She let go of his hand and he moved to stand beside her, rather than behind her. "I should've said something. That's my fault. I'm sorry."

"I'm not. We shouldn't be outed by force," Tala snarled, still glaring at Harry. "It's not fair to the ones being outed."

"You can be sorry later, Ramon, because right now we have to use your powers to find Doctor Light," Harry said, moving forward and grabbing the mask.

"Cisco, your abilities, how do they work?" Jay asked. Tala shrugged, glad that the team wasn't taking it bad that she had kept another secret from them.

"Uh, I get these feelings sometimes, these vibes, visions of the breachers when they come to this Earth," Cisco tried to explain. "I just, I'm not sure what triggers it. Sometimes it just happens. Sometimes it's when I'm touching something of theirs."

"Touch the mask," Harry demanded. Tala glared at him before snapping her jaw shut, she had been on the verge of saying something. "You want to find Doctor Light, do it."

Cisco braced himself on the cart as he took a deep breath, before reaching out to touch the mask. Tala watched as he preemptively closed his eyes, but he didn't vibe. She didn't feel a change in his energy. She shook her head at an expectant looking Barry, as Cisco tried adjusting his grip.

"I don't think it's working," Cisco said, pulling his hand away from the mask.

"Try again," Harry said, before shouting it again, louder. "Try again!"

Cisco sighed, but reached out to touch the mask. His energy didn't change and he pulled his hand away, slumping slightly. Tala walked over and gripped the back of his neck in support, letting her powers fall away from her.

"I'm sorry, it's not..." He trailed off, leaning back into Tala's grip slightly.

"Again!" Harry barked. Tala looked at him sharply, annoyed that he was being so dictatorial toward Cisco.

"I can't control it!" Cisco argued, not leaving Tala's grip. He was glad she was there.

"Because you're afraid," Harry criticized, stepping forward and grabbing the mask off its stand.

"I'm telling you, we don't know how it works!" Cisco defended. Tala tried not to feel pride at being included in his defense, but couldn't help the slight smirk. She didn't realise that her powers were creeping down her arm to wrap around her and Cisco, the same way they connected the two of them when he tried to lucid dream the timeline when Eobard killed them both. "I can't just make it happen!"

"I'm telling you, yes, you can!" Harry said, pressing the mask to Cisco's chest. He gasped and Tala started, her eyes turning a darker blue than they did when she used her powers. They looked around, Tala noticing they were at the train station, at platform fifteen. Doctor Light was there, looking normal, and less homicidal. Harry pulled the mask away and they fell out of the vision.

"South Plaza train station, platform fifteen," Tala and Cisco said, blinking rapidly. Tala shook her head and pulled away from Cisco, pulling for her armor as Harry turned to face Barry.

"What are you waiting for?" Harry asked and Barry grabbed Tala and raced out, leaving nothing but a streak of lightning and a blast of wind.

"Oh, guys, the platform's crowded," Barry said, looking around. Tala pulled out her bow and notched an arrow, as they looked around. "Are you sure she's here?"

"This is what I saw," Tala muttered.

"She should be wearing a black trench coat," Cisco said through comms.

"Got her, Sarie, there," Tala said, pointing her out. She raised her voice and poured her powers into it. "Alright, everybody out! Move it, clear the platform!"

The people started leaving, except for Doctor Light, who just stood there, knowing the two Metahumans were after her.

"Why won't you just let me leave?" She asked.

"I can't let you leave. You killed an innocent man!" Barry said. Tala aimed her bow at her as she shed the trench coat, revealing her Metasuit underneath.

"Seriously, don't you all have a justice system over there?" Tala snarked, pushing her powers to surround the three of them to contain the fight.

"That was an accident," Light said, glaring at them.

"That's still about four years in Iron Heights, Linda," Tala said. "Manslaughter is less than ten years, but ultimately up to the judge. I can talk to a few friends, get you a reduced sentence, even WitSec, but you'll still have to come with us."

"Trying to kill Linda Park wasn't an accident," Barry said.

"It's the only way I can be free from Zoom, unless I kill you," Light declared. Tala glared.

"Seriously, I just offered you witness protection, and you instantly turn to murder?" Tala growled. "I miss back when I was the worst thing on Central's streets."

"I can't let you do that either," Barry said. "So, we've got a problem."

"We'll see," Light said before throwing a blast of light at them. Tala dove and rolled, coming up near the train on platform fourteen.

"Guys, we should've talked about this before we left, but how should I stop her?" Barry asked, hiding behind a pillar.

"Keep trying different angles, Barry," Jay offered. "Find her blind spot."

"Easier said than done. Jay, please tell me you have something better to offer the two of us? Unless you just want me to shoot her?" Tala snarled, dodging another blast of light. Tala shut her eyes, as she tried not to go blind again.

"I don't know," Jay said, sounding mildly heartbroken. Tala huffed in annoyance.

"Gotta say, that was not the answer I was looking for," Barry said. Tala felt his energy by the train.

"You need to confuse her. Give her more than one target, so she doesn't know who to fire at," Harry said.

"Alright, how do I do that?" Barry asked.

"Like Eobard did, he moved so quickly that it looked like there were two of him. That's how he was able to pretend to be beaten up by the Reverse Flash, remember?" Tala said, tracking Light's energy as she tracked after Barry. Tala increased the bubble containing them, making it so they couldn't leave the station. "A speed mirage, make multiple after images of yourself."

"A speed mirage? I've never run that fast!" Barry complained.

"Damnit Barry, if you can travel through time you can create a freaking speed mirage!" Tala growled.

Barry started running, creating a few good after images, but Light caught on, and pushed a circular blast outward, knocking Barry on his back, and pushing Tala back a few inches.

"Barry?" Caitlin asked.

"I can't do it," Barry said, panting.

"Yes you can Barry. Hey, Doctor Wells is right," Jay said. Tala wondered how much it was hurting Jay's pride to say that. "You are fast, faster than I ever was and better than I ever will be. Don't let fear and doubt hold you back like it did to me. You're the Flash, Barry. Show Light what that means."

Barry took off running again, creating more after images that appeared to move, closing in on Light. Tala slipped behind her, having switched her bow for her staves.

"Where are you?" Light shouted, when shooting at the mirages didn't work. Tala knocked Light on the back of her head, careful not to cause too much damage, but enough to knock her out.

"Right here, bitch," Tala said. Barry scooped up Light and ran her back to Star Labs, dropping her in the cortex for Caitlin to drag to the pipeline before coming back for Tala. The assassin was lounging in her chair when Iris and Caitlin walked back into the cortex.

"Doctor Light is safely locked in the pipeline," Caitlin said, smiling. Tala bit her lip, but smiled benignly after a moment's indecision. Len had mentioned how wrong the pipeline was, and after thinking about it, Tala knew he was right. She was glad Len had sabotaged their brief foray into human trafficking. Even as an assassin there were some lines she shouldn't cross.

"Nicely done," Cisco said, offering Caitlin a fist bump. Tala rubbed her eyes as she glanced out the windows, seeing the sun already up. Joe hadn't brought coffee this morning, but Tala had every intention of hitting up Jitters as soon as she had time to change into something different.

"Wells, thank you for helping Barry put away Doctor Light," Iris said, crossing the room. She exchanged looks with Tala, who sent her a sympathetic smile, knowing her thoughts were on Eddie.

"So what now?" Joe asked. Barry sighed, glancing at Tala, then at Jay.

"We do what Doctor Wells said. We use her to lure Zoom here, end this once and for all," Barry said.

"You can't be serious," Jay said, looking at Barry.

"More breachers are gonna come, Jay," Tala said, dragging everyone's attention to her. She stood up from the chair and sighed. "More innocent people may die, and he remains a threat. This is my city, and I won't accept a threat to it."

"You're making a mistake," Jay said, looking back to Barry. "Okay, Zoom is a nightmare you can't wake up from."

"No, the undertaking was a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. My father snapping my neck was my worst nightmare, especially after I found out my brother died from dad's actions," Tala said, stepping forward. Her voice started chilly, but turned to ice as she talked about losing her brother. "Losing Tommy, Bette, Ronnie; making the wrong call and having my team hate me. Those are nightmares I can't wake up from. The idea of my city falling to a demon hellbent on being the fastest speedster, that is a nightmare. We can lure Zoom here, Barry will distract him, and I will put an arrow through his throat, to make sure he can't get up again. He will have to kill me first if he doesn't want to die at my hand."

"Barry may be faster than me, but he's not ready to fight Zoom by himself," Jay said, turning to face Barry.

"That's just it, Jay. I'm not gonna fight him by myself. I've got Tala, who is always by my side. I've got Cisco and Caitlin, Joe and Iris, even you and Harry in my ear, telling me what to do," Barry said, looking at each person as he called them out.

"No, I can't in good conscience help you when I know it'll only lead to you losing your speed, or even worse, your death," Jay said, looking sadly at Barry.

"Optimism must be an Earth One thing," Cisco commented.

"You all need to ask yourself why this man, for years, wouldn't admit that he was responsible for the Particle Accelerator exploding underground," Jay said, turning to Harry. Tala frowned at the sudden change of topic. "He may not be Harrison Wells from your Earth, but he has just as many secrets as the one you knew."

Jay started walking out of the cortex, Tala's eyes on his back the entire time. Tala wondered who Harry had lost. He had the same look in his eyes that Rip did when they first met.

"Jay, please don't go," Caitlin begged.

"I'm so sorry, Caitlin," Jay said before he turned and left. Tala took a deep breath and looked at her team, meeting everyone's eyes.

"Alright, look, I'm not good at the whole speech thing, but I know people, alright? Harry's plan is a good one, we use Light to lure Zoom here, and I know we can beat him. Barry, Jay couldn't throw lightning, you can. That's proof that you're faster than him, right?" Tala asked. She looked at Barry until he nodded, slowly. "And Harry, you are brilliant. You can create a serum, or nanotech or something that can stifle his speed, if you haven't already, right? We don't need to slow him down to my level, we just need to get him with an arrow in the throat. But not this morning, alright? I need a freakin' cup of coffee."

Tala looked around the room until people nodded at her, looks of hope slowly appearing on their faces. She beamed at them, intent on keeping morale up.

"Great. Harry, can I talk to you for a moment, Cisco, will you call Cody and see if there's any paperwork for us to do? I'm going to do that for the rest of the day, because I think I might have accidentally sold the rights to Haven and the Flash to Merlyn Industries, and I'm expecting backlash," Tala said, smiling sheepishly at Cisco before leading Harry out to her gym where she created a new outfit that wrapped around her in a manner similar to her armor.

"Who did you lose?" Tala asked without preamble as she looked at herself in the black screen of her phone to adjust her lipstick color. "You have the same look Rip did when he started the Legends to beat up a bad guy who killed his wife, and child."

Tala noticed the flinch when she said child. Anyone else would've missed it, but she had been trained to notice things that people wanted to keep hidden.

"My daughter, Jesse," Harry said, after a pregnant pause. "She was taken, and that's why I started being more proactive in the fight against Zoom."

"It's not my thing to share, I don't out people who don't want to be outed, Harry," Tala said, pulling two rings out of a box and slipping them on her fingers. She smiled at the scientist and left her gym, running into Cisco, Caitlin and Barry on her way to the garage.

"Cody's waiting to take us to Jitters, he said Kyle's gonna bring us the paperwork while we're there," Cisco said, linking arms with Cait and Tala. "He also said that we're going to have to have a press conference between Tala and Haven, and the Flash if we can manage it; to officially own the copyright and the trademark and a whole bunch of other terms I didn't understand."

"Hey, it'll mean more money for Star Labs, maybe, if the merch sales go well we can upgrade some of the equipment we have here," Tala said brightly, trying to ignore the impending pile of paperwork she was going to have to dig through. She huffed and climbed into the car, leaning against the far door and propping her feet up between Cisco's knees once he was sitting opposite her. The ride to Jitters was quick, and Tala thanked her driver profusely as she lead the charge to the coffeeshop.

"I'll get our drinks," Cisco said, walking up to Kendra. Tala lead the way to their usual high top, sliding into a seat.

"What can I get... you," Kendra said, a small, awkward blush appearing on her cheeks as Cisco approached the counter.

"Yeah, I know, this is supes awkward, probably more for me than for you, but I just want coffee, okay? Just, two Flashes, one of them decaf, and two Havens, one a triple. Please," Cisco said, looking down at the counter as Kendra turned to start the coffees. Cisco had noticed Caity wasn't there, so he waited.

"Are you sure that's all you want?" Kendra asked, a small smile having appeared on her face as she turned back to face Cisco.

"Oh, that's funny. You just want to shoot me down again, huh?" Cisco asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"No, no no no. What I mean is, I just moved to Central City, and it's a pretty big change from where I come from. Everything here is so big and new and filled with Metahumans," Kendra said, glancing at the Flash poster next to the pastry counter as if to prove her point.

"Yeah, well, when you factor in the size of the city, the chances of running into a Metahuman are actually pretty low," Cisco said, thinking about the equations he had run with the original Doctor Wells back when the accelerator first exploded.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, you kinda caught me off guard the other day, but now I'm a little more prepared, so I just want to make sure, is coffee all you want?" Kendra asked, smiling gently at Cisco. Cisco smiled back before sticking his hand out in front of him.

"Hi, I'm Cisco Ramon," He introduced himself, trying to forget the first time he'd asked her out. She shook his hand, a firm grip for a barista. Cisco idly thought that Tala would enjoy the handshake.

"Kendra Saunders. It's nice to meet you," She said.

"Are you okay?" Tala asked, looking at Caitlin. She had seemed sad since Jay walked out in anger. Tala still didn't know what to make of their Earth Two visitors, and their constant fighting wasn't helping matters at all.

"Yeah, I just... I was getting used to Jay being part of the team," Caitlin said.

"Well look, Jay's a hero. They always seem to show up just when you need 'em," Barry said encouragingly. Tala placed her hand over Cait's.

"He'll come around, even if I have to bludgeon sense into him. I'm more worried about him and Harry working together. They need to if we're ever going to beat Zoom," Tala commented. Cisco returned, setting the coffee on the table. Tala plucked her cup out and started sipping on it.

"Yo, peep that," Cisco said, holding a piece of receipt paper out to show Tala a scrawl of numbers and a name. "That's how it's done, young Padawan. We're going on a date next week."

Tala snorted and leaned over to fistbump Cisco. She was beaming, glad that the loop was now closed.

"Things are looking up for Cisco Ramon!" Tala cheered, smiling at his happiness. "Just, don't tell her you're a billionaire on the first date, yeah?"

"No shit," Cisco said, rolling his eyes. "Still stuck with these powers though. Just don't know how to feel about 'em."

"Hey, look. You don't gotta go through it alone," Barry said, clapping Cisco on the shoulder.

"And now, you need a cool name," Caitlin said, bringing a smile to everyone's faces.

"Oh, snap! You're totally right," Cisco said, thinking hard. "I gotta think about this one. 'Cause you know me, it's gotta be perfect. Something that really sings, you know?"

"Nuh-uh, you don't get to name yourself, that's like rule number one of being a superhero," Tala scolded, smiling. "Besides, I already picked out the perfect name for you. Vibe."

"Vibe?" Barry asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Vibe," Caitlin repeated, smiling softly.

"Vibe," Cisco confirmed, liking the way it sounded. The four of them smiled at each other, happy that Cisco was taking the powers thing better than he had been an hour ago.

Outside of Jitters, Harry hovered near the door, watching the three Metahumans and Caitlin tap their cups together in celebration of Cisco's date and new Metaname.

Earth Two

Zoom ran into what looked like an abandoned warehouse in a streak of blue lightning. His whole body vibrated as though it loathed to stand still, even while holding a conversation. The other two people in the room flinched backward from his sudden entrance, before the girl glared at him defiantly. No one could tell what the male prisoner was doing behind his mask, but anyone would bet money that he was glaring as well.

"Your father has abandoned you," Zoom growled, his voice matching the demon's mask he wore.

"You're lying," Jesse Wells protested. "My father's the smartest man alive. He'll find me, he'll save me, and then he'll kill you."

"I will not die!" Zoom declared. "What happens to you and your father is still to be decided."

Zoom left, a streak of blue lightning and a blast of wind the only thing he left behind. Jesse pulled against her rope restraints and glared after the speedster, not caring that he was long gone.

Tala sighed as she set the bankers box of paperwork on the porch and looked up at the mundane safehouse that Len had revealed to her, whispered in her ear during her last visit to Iron Heights. The guards no longer searched her, and she no longer brought weapons with her to visit, just updates on Lisa and Mick and the rest of the world. When she had told him about Cisco and Kendra, he had nearly laughed himself blue, then told her a place where she could stay.

Tala picked the lock on the front door before swiftly moving to punch in Captain Singh's badge number as the security code, silencing the alarm. There was dust everywhere, showing that Mick hadn't made it there before his shift at Saint's and Sinners, the bar on the outskirts of town that frequently hired cons and ex cons to work, giving them legal means of income. The assassin sneezed once before moving to start dusting before the movers appeared.

The house was one that was for sale, but no one wanted because the last owner was a man who murdered his entire family before hanging himself in the living room. Its dark past made it undesirable for any family, and the land it sat on made it too expensive for one person to live in, so it had sat there for two years. Tala Merlyn had purchased it in The'eb Sagheer's name an hour ago; just after hiring a truck of movers to bring the furniture she had bought from the local furniture store. They were bringing enough to furnish three bedrooms, a living room, dining room, and a few random odds and ends that had caught the CEO's eyes as she shopped.

"Merlyn Industries, this is Tala speaking," Tala answered her phone through her comms just as the movers left. She looked around and grinned as she unloaded the groceries from the back of Cody's car.

"Woah, multitask much? You never answer like that unless you're busy," Cisco's voice echoed slightly in her ear. "Where are you anyway, it's movie night!"

"Koneko, I told you, I was gonna stay elsewhere so I didn't accidentally screw up your thing with Kendra," Tala said, catching the door with her foot as Cody and Kyle helped her restock the pantry and fridge with enough food to feed a small army.

"I know that, but I just assumed you'd be here for movie night," Cisco said, pouting softly. "I've got Wrath of Khan all lined up."

"I have been and always shall be your friend," Tala quoted, setting the case of beer in the fridge. "But, I've seen that movie seven times just this year. Call Barry, see if he'll make it seven too. Thanks Cody, Kyle."

Tala waved as they pulled out of the short driveway, Kyle driving because Cody was tired of it. She had laughed listening to them pretending to argue as they unloaded the food.

"Alright, fine. Will you be at Star Labs tomorrow? We need to figure out that press conference. Will Emma be alright dressing up as Haven? Barry can be there too if he needs," Cisco said, thinking aloud.

"She's done it before," Tala shrugged, leaving the ingredients for cookies, brownies and lasagna out on the counter. "And she can't exactly be Tala, Cynthia would notice; Emma doesn't speak Italian."

"And that woman is terrifying. Alright, I'll leave you to your moving. Love you," Cisco said as he ended the call, and Tala blushed slightly, the same way she always did when he said that.

"Love you too, Kitten. Now hurry up and ditch the bird so I can come home," Tala said to herself as she put away the last of the food. She glanced at the clock in the dining room and nodded to herself. She had just enough time to make the pasta dish before Mick got off work.

Tala finished the cup of coffee she had sitting on the counter as she turned to open the oven, staring at the assortment of cookies and pastries she had sitting in there. The brownies looked perfect. She reached in and pulled them out with her bare hand and dropped them on the cooling rack, right next to the other pan of sweets that she didn't know what she was going to do with. Under the brownies was a bubbling sheet of lasagne, just starting to turn the right shade of done. She reached for the ceramic pan, humming along to the radio. Tala could feel Mick's energy enter the house through the back door.

"Hands where I can see 'em. Any fast movin' and you fry," Mick Rory said, and Tala felt the energy of the Heat Gun, already charged and ready to burn her and the house to cinders. He would've too, if Tala hadn't preemptively coated the house in her powers, making sure he couldn't. "Now, Girlie."

"I go through all the trouble of new furniture, cable, internet and I made you dinner - and you try to fry me and burn the safehouse to the ground," Tala scolded, grabbing the lasagne with one hand while grabbing the last sheet of cookies too. "Shame on you, Mick Rory."

Tala turns and faces him, holding the two oven hot dishes in bare hands, only coated by powers Mick couldn't see. At her raised eyebrow, he lowered the gun, holstering it back on his thigh.

"Killer?" He asked. She nodded and smiled, setting the food on the stove, turning off the oven.

"Help yourself. I couldn't get the heat to work, so I just started baking. I also heard you have a sweet tooth," Tala commented, watching Mick grab a triple chocolate chip cookie out of the corner of her eye. She noticed the barely there smile that graced his face, losing the aggression and madness he showed during heists.

"What are you doing here? Did Snart send you?" Mick asked, looking around the safehouse.

"Cisco got a girlfriend. She took my spot, but he's happy so, whatever," Tala said, serving up the pasta on two plates and sending them to the table, where she had preemptively set two beers, pulling the rest of the case out of the fridge to sit on the counter, surrounded by cooling cookies, cupcakes and brownies. "I didn't have anywhere to go, so I went to visit Len. He said I could crash here with you if I wanted."

"You willingly moved in with an arsonist?" Mick asked, following the food to the dining room. "Are you crazy?"

"Why not? Besides, I didn't want to crash at my office again. The Board tends to see that as a sign saying 'call me anytime' meaning I get no sleep," Tala complained, focusing on her nails, letting her powers turn them into Haven's claws, and using them to pop the top of the beer off.

"Neat trick. How's Team Flash?" Mick asked, sitting across from her at the table. Tala just groaned, rolling her eyes.

...

Earth Two

"That's three now! Something has to be done!" The man snarled, glaring around the room as if it had the answers he wanted to hear.

"Something is being done." The woman spoke calmly, sounding bored, as if she didn't care about the three missing rogues. "We have things in motion that you cannot always see, brother."

"T, you can't just keep us in the dark. We need to know what's being done!"

"So you can reveal it to Zoom if you're his next target? So he can kill you in a rage? No. Thea, Tommy, relax. Let me handle this, please?"

"Let your sister handle things," Another voice added in from the shadows. "She knows what she's doing."

"You're sure Linda's still alive?" A blond man asked, sitting nearby. He glared at the man in the shadows. "Tell me the truth."

"She's fine. In solitary confinement, but she is alive. Now stop that!" He panted, shaking his head to clear the fog. "Damn it Veritas. You know I hate that."

"After losing Al, and Eddie... I'm not risking Linda too. I'll have Glider tell Larkin that she got put on an assignment for her. He won't look into it too much."

"Eddie, she will be okay. We will take care of Zoom, and then we will rescue Linda. She will be home safe soon. I make this oath to you."

Tala Merlyn stood up, taking Eddie Thawne's hand in her own. She gave him a formal oath from the league of assassins, swearing that she would personally bring Linda Park back home to their Central City, once Hunter Zolomon was dealt with. Eddie nodded, accepting her at her word.


End file.
